Life of a Moony Lover: Year 2, Plots
by PonygalBlack0911
Summary: COMPLETE! Amy and the Marauders return to Hogwarts for their second year. Follow them as they plot the Marauders Map and become animagi. However, all is not well and the Wizarding World is plagued by disappearances and murders as the Dark Lord rises. Nobody is safe.
1. Potter Manor

_Hello to both new and old readers! I recommend reading Life of a Moony Lover: Year 1, Secrets prior to this although it isn't necessary. Enjoy!_

_I do not own Harry Potter_

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"Potter Manor!" I instructed, tossing the floo powder and wincing as I saw the large flames engulf me. I stumbled out through a magnificent shining white marble mantelpiece. My parents came behind me. I looked around the room and tried to close my mouth that had dropped open in astonishment. It was huge. The ceiling was about ten feet above our heads and I felt tiny. There was a gigantic chandelier laden with crystals. The furniture looked as though it belonged in a muggle museum. I found myself standing on a blood red carpet that matched the large Gryffindor banners perfectly.

The arrogant messy haired boy caught me staring and waved a hand in front of my face before giving me a hug. He hadn't changed too much since I last saw him in July for my birthday. Standing behind him, smiling were James' parents. Charlus Potter was a handsome man. He had a face that was slightly wrinkled, although when he smiled, the lines seemed to vanish. He had a familiar messy mop of black -slightly greying- hair and kind blue eyes. Dorea Potter was quite tall, and had brown hair that was tied up in an elegant knot. Her eyes were identical to James', a lively hazel colour. Like her husband, had signs of age in her appearance.

Standing behind James and his parents were three very familiar faces. An extremely tall, tanned boy with twinkling silver eyes bounded forward and winked at me cheekily before pulling me in for a friendly hug. I laughed at him, shaking my head at his childish behaviour. The next boy was small with mousy brown hair, I hi-fived him before focusing my attention on the weary boy leaning against the wall. I had never been that close to Peter.

Remus looked fit to collapse. He had a new inch wide scar running from his shoulder to under his elbow that stood out against his pale skin. His warm chocolate eyes seemed tired, emphasised by the black bags beneath them but when my own amber eyes met his, the weariness vanished. I ran over to him, tossing my trunk aside and wrapped my arms around him. I noticed that he smelled of chocolate.

I pulled away and said goodbye to my parents, hugging them tightly. I watched as they were engulfed in emerald flames and vanished out of sight.

"I'll get Cleo our House Elf to bring your trunks to your rooms. James, why don't you show your guests around the house?" suggested.

"Sure!" James grinned and he bounded out of the room. We all laughed and chased after him. Potter Manor was impossibly massive. They had 15 bedrooms for Merlin's sake! There were stables, swimming pools, small lakes, a forest full of deer and even a bloody full-sized Quidditch pitch!

We quickly climbed the fourth staircase and came across a door with a gold plate saying: **James** written on it. We pushed the door open and Peter closed it. James' room, like the rest of his mansion was huge. There was a distinct Gryffindor theme going on and every inch of the golden walls was covered in Quidditch posters.

"I got my mum to put silencing charms on my room earlier, I said it was so that we wouldn't keep her and dad awake." James said.

"Amy, do you have the book?" Sirius asked siriusly.

"Yeah, it's in here", I said, patting my bag.

"What book?" Remus asked, suspicious as to why the raven haired boys want a _book._

"'_Discovering the Animal Within: A Complete Guide to becoming_ _an Animagus'_," I explained proudly, rooting around in my bag for the precious book.

Remus looked aghast, his mouth swung open. He seemed to be thinking hard for words to describe how he felt about this.

"No! You can't! I won't allow it! I won't allow you to put yourselves in so much danger for me!" He argued fiercely.

"Look, Remus. No matter what you say or do, we are going to go through with this. It will be a hell of a lot easier for us all if you will go along with it." James reasoned calmly.

"Besides, we need your intelligence to help us!" Sirius added.

"I can't let you do this for me." Remus whispered dejectedly.

"Too late!" Peter piped up.

"Open the bloody book", Sirius interjected as Remus opened his mouth to argue.

"Chapter 1: Traits", I read aloud.

"I wonder what that means…" James mulled.

"Maybe if we read we might find out!" Peter pointed out.

We all read the first chapter in silence.

"Well, that seems harmless enough", Remus concluded.

"It makes sense", I reasoned, "The cover explains it, the animal within. Whatever kind of person you are, the animal within will be like that too."

"So we have to try and guess what our traits are." James said.

It was harder than we had imagined. We obviously started spouting our good traits, which are a lot easier to admit to.

"I'm incredibly sexy!" Sirius declared. We all laughed.

"About as sexy as a rat!" I cackled. Sirius looked put out. "You're loyal," I decided. "And hilarious when you aren't trying to be". He perked up at that. The others nodded their heads in agreement.

"Not to mention that you're as thick as a plank when you want to be!" James added, snorting with laughter.

"James, you're a leader." Remus said once the laughter had subsided. "You want to protect everyone you care for. Just like the time when the Slytherins went for Peter."

"Yeah, you are James. Peter, you're very quiet", Sirius stated.

"And friendly", Remus added quickly.

"Amy, you're really smart", James said, "You look after us all and work both by yourself and as part of a team." You can also be as cunning as a Slytherin when you want to be."

"Moony, you're extremely clever", Peter squeaked, eager to be part of the conversation.

"I don't think I can be an animagus", Remus muttered. "But that doesn't mean I can't go through most of the process with you".

"Exactly!" Sirius declared, "So, as Pete was saying, you are abnormally smart, you work hard, you're extremely patient and have a high level of tolerance."

We sat in silence for several minutes lost in our thoughts.

"We'll continue this later, let's go out and play some Quidditch". James said, his eyes shining in anticipation. We all agreed enthusiastically and raced outside.


	2. Quidditch and Pillow Fights

_Hello Readers! A million and one thank you's to my reviewers! Please do review, it's great encouragement to continue writing! Here goes my first attempt at writing about some Quidditch! Please enjoy chapter 2!_

_I do not own Harry Potter_

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We dived into the Potters' broom shed (which was big enough to be a house). James proudly showed us his precious Nimbus 1700 which the others admired whilst I smirked. Sirius had an impressive Silver Arrow. Remus had an old Cleansweep 2. Peter didn't have a broom and borrowed James' old Comet 140. The expressions on James', Sirius' and Peter's faces when I displayed my Nimbus 1800 was hilarious. Their jaws dropped comically and their eyes widened in disbelief.

"Top class agarwood, 0-70 in 9 seconds without a decent tail-wind of course." I smirked.

James reached a trembling hand out to touch the world's newest broomstick. "Now shall we begin?" I prompted. We called Mr Potter out to join us on his Cleansweep 4. We warmed up by racing laps around the pitch and tossing a quaffle between us. It wasn't long before we were all wide awake and ready to play.

Mr Potter, James and Peter formed one team: The Golden Stags. They chose their name after Mr Potter's impressive herd of deer. Remus, Sirius and I joined forces to become The Howling Wolves, the team named for obvious reasons.

Mr Potter and Remus flew to take up their positions as keepers. Sirius, James, Peter and I would play as chasers. There weren't enough players to have a seeker or beaters for each team.

I pulled my hair back into a long ponytail to keep it out of my way and mounted my broom. James caught the quaffle first. He raced up the field, dodging past Sirius and me. I swerved in front of him and wrestled the quaffle from his grip, quickly passing it to Sirius who easily avoided Peter and threw it at the middle hoop. Mr Potter dived for the quaffle and diverted it away from the hoop.

I sighed in disappointment and pulled a face at Sirius. This time, Peter managed to get a hold of the quaffle. He held it for approximately 4 seconds before Sirius teased it from between his fingers and passed it to me. James flew in front of me, caught the quaffle and shot the first goal of the match.

"10-0 to the Golden Stags!" shouted Mrs Potter. I grinned, I hadn't even noticed that she was there!

I was next to score, blasting the quaffle through the left hoop so fast that it was little more than a blur.

We continued playing Quidditch for another hour. The Golden Stags won by 20 points. We sauntered into the enormous dining room and gobbled down a delicious meal of roast beef followed by pavalova cooked by the Potters' House Elves.

That night, we all crowded around the precious book in James' bedroom. Sirius opened the book and we read in uninterrupted silence, the only noise being our breathing and the occasional turning of a page.

Eventually we reached the end of chapter 1.

"Well guys, looks like we have to finish listing our traits". James said.

"Em, well, I guess I'm quite cowardly and nervous. I blend in", Peter admitted with a shrug. We nodded, at least he was being honest.

"I'm a little bit arrogant", James and Sirius said at the same time. We all burst out laughing.

"A little?" Remus shrieked, howling with laugher.

"All right, a lot", they corrected.

"I'm insecure", Remus confessed.

"I can be insecure too. I worry a lot and over think things", I said.

"I'm loud", Sirius said slowly. We all giggled again.

"You can say that again!" James quipped.

"All right! I'm loud!" Sirius repeated, a grin forming on his handsome features.

"Be serious!" Remus groaned, before noticing his mistake.

"But Moony, I'm ALWAYS Sirius!" Sirius cackled, throwing his head back and barking with laughter. We all sighed.

It had been harder than we had thought it would be. We began guessing what our forms would be, even though the book didn't tell us to.

"I think that I'll be something really magnificent", James envisioned, "Like a lion!"

"I think I'll be a follower, maybe something smaller, less noticeable", Peter thought aloud, "maybe something like a… I don't know".

"A sheep?" Sirius offered unhelpfully. Peter blushed.

"Oh Merlin, I hope not! Moony would eat me!"

"I think I'll be something that can stand up for themselves, just like I can, perhaps a…fox or a leopard". I pondered.

"I'll obviously be something really cool!" Sirius proclaimed arrogantly. "A bear! Or…a tiger! Or even better-_a shark!" _

"Hate to break it to you, mate, but If you were a shark you'd have some trouble helping Moony!" James pointed out.

"And moving" I added.

"And breathing", Remus smirked.

"Oh yeah, I didn't think about that one!" Sirius laughed.

"You never think!" I interjected.

"Hey! I'll get you for that one!" Sirius retorted before tossing the nearest pillow at me. I ducked and grinned. Bring it on! I grabbed another pillow and flung it at Sirius who dodged it. It hit James in the face. He clambered to his feet frowning before tossing it at Remus. Remus protested indignantly as the pillow hit his middle. He narrowed his eyes and growled before hurling a cushion at Peter.

A pillow war ensued. I began throwing some of my own. A cushion hit me in the face and a snort of laughter told me that it was from James. I whirled around as glared at him before violently flinging a pillow at the guilty boy. With Quidditch reflexes, he outstretched his arm, easily seizing the offending cushion. He casually launched my own ammunition against me but I ducked and it hit Sirius who looked extremely offended for James "wrecking his beautiful hair".

Twenty minutes later we were collapsed in a pile of arms, legs and giggles. I quickly glanced at the contents of the book before heading to bed.

**CHAPTER 2: THE BOND BETWEEN THE BODY, MIND AND SOUL**


	3. Diagon Alley

_Hello Readers! A massive thanks to all reviewers and followers!_

_I do not own Harry Potter_

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The next morning I trudged down the hallway and knocked gently on Remus' door. There was no answer, so I swung it open. Moony was half dressed and he yelped, diving behind his bed. My hand few to my mouth and I galloped out of the room, suddenly wide awake. I crossed the hall to knock on Sirius' door VERY loudly. He moaned something about going away and I slowly pulled the door open. I peered around the door and sighed. The lazy mongrel was still asleep.

"**SIRIUS BLACK! WAKE UP NOW!**" I roared into his ear, laughing as he turned in his sleep.

"By the way, I saw Cleo making pancakes", I added slyly. Sirius sprung out of bed, taking the duvet with him. Much to my surprise, he proceeded to grab my wrist and drag both me and the duvet down the grand staircase. We were on the last few steps when he slipped on the duvet and tumbled down, landing on the ground in an undignified heap. He groaned whilst I laughed.

"Right, I'll go and wake up James", I snorted, barely maintaining my straight face. I skipped back up the stairs and rapped on James' door.

"Come on in!" James called.

"Thank Godric that one of us is a morning person!" I laughed before telling him about Sirius falling down the stairs.

"That sounds like Sirius all right!" James guffawed, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "Is Cleo really making pancakes?" He asked, suddenly serious.

"No, that was just to get Sirius up," I confessed. James' face fell and a moment later there was an angry yell from downstairs, Sirius had obviously just found out that there wasn't any pancakes.

Together, James and I managed to haul Peter down the stairs. The atmosphere in the dining room was grim. Mr Potter had The Daily Prophet opened and as soon as I entered the room a large headline hit me:

**MINISTRY OFFICIAL FOUND DEAD IN HOME, HUSBAND MISSING**

James' parents were whispering to each other in hushed tones. Mrs Potter looked worried and she gave her husband a big hug and kiss on the cheek before he went to work. Anxiety was etched into her features.

The boys and I exchanged glances and James hugged his mother. He was already taller than her.

"Don't leave the grounds", she instructed us, "we have extremely strong safety enchantments but they only protect our house and grounds, you don't need to go anywhere else until we take you to Diagon Alley".

We nodded and promised to do as she said, meaning it for one of the first times in our lives.

Over the next few days, we kept our promise to Mrs Potter and on the last day of August, James' parents brought us to Diagon Alley. Diagon Alley was usually a hive of activity. It was supposed to be a place of unity and happiness where friends and family would meet each other and enjoy each other's company.

That had changed.

It was bitterly cold for August, a harsh unforgiving wind smacked our faces, turning our noses red. The usual bustling crowd had diminished, replaced by tightly knitted families rushing to get their supplies and leave. Law enforcers patrolled the streets- it was too minor a job for the elite Aurors.

There was no sound of laughter from the eleven year olds buying school supplies. There was no crowd outside Madame Malkin's. Quality Quidditch Supplies was eerily empty.

"What happened here?" James croaked, surveying the Alley with sadness in his eyes.

"Everyone's worried, son", Mr Potter answered truthfully. "There's been several more disappearances. The Aurors are on the case but to be honest, nobody has a clue as to who is behind them".

We didn't know what to say to that. We had known about one or two disappearances but we hadn't realised it was this serious. On that sombre note, we began with our shopping.

Our first stop was to Flourish and Blott's. We bought all of our required books as quickly as possible, all of us itching to go to Quality Quidditch Supplies. Remus had been the only one reluctant to leave the shop. He decided on two books but when he turned them over and saw the prices, his face fell and he placed one back on the shelves. Mr Potter saw this and quickly handed the boy five galleons. Remus protested, but eventually gave in and bought the two books with a radiant smile on his face, thanking Mr Potter repeatedly.

Next, we stocked up on potion ingredients in the Apothecary. We left with several bags of jars containing eel's eyes, rat's tails, porcupine quills and other peculiar potion ingredients. It was a relief to step outside the shop. It always smelled disgusting like rotten eggs had met Peter's socks and decided to multiply!

We all bought some robes in Madam Malkin's, along with some cloaks and Gryffindor scarves. I purchased a new cauldron in Potage's Cauldron Shop to replace the last one I had blown up. (I was almost as good at exploding cauldrons as Michael Finnegan in 4th Year whom had quite a reputation for pyrotechnics!)

After that, we entered Eeylop's Owl Emporium for some owl food and treats. Peter decided that it was time for him to buy himself a pet. He had never liked owls (he was actually almost afraid of them! Honestly it was as if he were a mouse that the owl would swoop down on and eat!). Therefore, we went to Magical Menagerie so he could buy one. There was any amount of sleek magical animals. There were intelligent black cats, luminous yellow toads that could tell if something were poisonous and even adorable puffskeins. Of course, Peter didn't decide on something ultra cool, he chose a _rat_. A smelly, dirty-not even magical-grey common rat. He named it a name that suited him perfectly, Dustin. Sirius and I already called it Dustbin.

We quickly nipped into Ollivander's to buy some wand-cleaning supplies before eventually galloping through the doors of Quality Quidditch Supplies. It was an average sized shop, but they used the space that they had well. Models of broomsticks were displayed in glass cases. The new Moontrimmer took pride of place despite the fact that my Nimbus was still the best on Market. The first broomstick, the Shooting Star was displayed behind the counter, although they are now impossible to buy. We all swooned over the brooms before diverting our attention to the Quidditch jerseys. Mr Potter bought a new quaffle and some keepers gloves made out of Acramantula web threaded with gold.

James bought a book on Quidditch and Sirius and I each bought a jersey.

Despite the odds, it was a great day out. Roll on Hogwarts!


	4. Hogwarts

Hello Readers! Apologies for the late update! My life has been hectic, and I had to endure a case of writer's block into the bargain. This is a short chapter, as will be the next one, but fear not - the story will get more exciting after that! Pleas review-it makes my day!

I do not own Harry Potter

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At eleven o'clock on the dot the next day, the Hogwarts Express began its journey to Hogwarts. We hung out the window, waving goodbye to the Potters. We fell back on to our seats, laughing as Sirius told us the story of his childhood accidental magic.

"As you know, I hate my family and their uptight, pureblood views. I think my magic knew this and one day when I was eight, my parents were giving out shit to me because I wanted to play with a muggle boy who lived down the street." Sirius said, barely concealing a grin.

"I got really angry, I could feel my face going red and suddenly, my father's pants fell down and my cow's arse of a mother turned green!" Sirius barked with laughter, it was probably the best memory of his horrible childhood.

"What happened next?" Peter asked innocently. The smile slid off Sirius' face and the laughter died on his lips. He muttered something under his breath.

"Speak up! We didn't hear you!" James encouraged.

"They used the cruciatus curse on me for the first time", he choked, avoiding eye contact with us. My heart melted for him, an unforgivable curse being used on an eight year old! His parents should have been put in Azkaban!

I jumped off my seat and sat beside Sirius, hugging him tightly. A few minutes later, he detangled himself from my arms. "I'm fine", he insisted.

"What do you mean: 'for the first time'?" Remus asked, his voice dripping with concern and his eyes sad.

"Anytime I 'acted up' or rebelled they would curse me, usually with the cruciatus. I hate them. I hate my parents. I hate Regulus for doing as they say. I hate all my pureblooded maniacs of relatives." He said this so calmly and certainly that it would have been better if he had been shouting.

"Isn't there any relatives that are…nice?" James enquired.

"Uncle Alphard is fantastic and my cousin Andromeda is kind." Sirius said fondly, "But I haven't seen them in years, ever since they were blasted off our bloody family tree." Peter's mouth was open and he was hanging off every word that was coming from Sirius' mouth. It irritated me.

"Look, enough about me and my sob stories! Merlin knows, I hate hearing this sort of thing myself. A bit of humour please!" Sirius begged. We laughed and the boys slapped him on the back, their masculine way of showing affection that I will never understand.

Needless to say, the train journey flew by!

* * *

After the Sorting, Professor Dumbledore stood up to make a speech.

"Good day students. May I remind all students that the forbidden forest must remain so for your own safety. Mr Filch has requested that I remind you all that the use of magic in the corridors is strictly prohibited and that Exploding Sickles are now banned." The boys and I exchanged grins, we were the cause of these being banned. It had been hilarious when Professor Flitwick had bent down to pick up the sickle and it suddenly blew up on him!

"I would also like to introduce our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Grey. He replaces Professor Willow who resigned from her post to resume her travels."

Sighs of disappointment swept over three of the house tables (guess which one was full of snickers). Professor Grey stood up. He looked as boring as his name suggested. He was stout, with a belly that could only have been obtained by having one too many firewhiskeys. His hair was grey, with a bald patch on the top of his head. He had small emotionless eyes.

The majority of the student population clapped politely, Mr Grey stood up and took a neat bow before sitting back down. He looked oddly out of place beside Hagrid.

"Now, without further ado, we shall commence with the feast!" Dumbledore announced, to many cheers (especially from my two raven haired friends).

Every kind of food that you could imagine appeared on the golden plates that had been sitting on the tables. I reached over and loaded my plate with some roast beef and vegetables. I called for gravy and the golden gravy boat flew over to me, charmed to fly. I smiled happily to myself.

I was home.


	5. Potions

Hello Readers! Thankfully this chapter isn't as short as the last one! I think that it's about time for James to crush on Lily! Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy. Please review!

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The next day our lessons commenced. Much to James' and Sirius' delight, we had double transfiguration with our favourite professor first thing.

"Good morning, Minnie!" Sirius greeted as we sauntered into the class. Professor McGonagall frowned at the disrespect he was showing her.

"Take you seat, Black." She instructed, "You too Potter."

James acted as though she hadn't said anything.

"What's that? Aw, we missed you too Minnie!"

"Mr Potter, sit down this instant or I will be forced to give you a detention." Professor McGonagall ordered. James and Sirius promptly flopped to the ground where they sat up, and eagerly looked at their teacher, their eyes alive with mischief.

"Detention, Potter and Black, now take your seats." She commanded. "No Potter, you're sitting in the front row this year." James groaned dramatically and changed direction.

"Now that you are in second year", Minnie began, but I didn't listen to another word.

Our next class was Herbology which passed unremarkably. We were in Greenhouse 3 for the first time. It contained more dangerous and exotic plants which aroused some interest. Peter became the first one to be tripped over by a Windfing Branch.

I can't tell you much about History of Magic because I barely managed to write the title on my parchment (The Gringott's Goblin Strike in 1862) before taking a well-deserved nap. One must not over exhert themselves in History, especially with a teacher like Professor Binns!

Next we had potions in the dungeons. Professor Slughorn was in a jolly mood. He gave us a light-hearted pep talk and asked us to open our books on page 214. We were told to brew a forgetfulness potion. I partnered with Lily, the potions expert, she could probably teach the class better than Slughorn!

I chopped the valerian sprigs into even slices and handed them to Lily. She dropped a handful into the cauldron and crushed some mistletoes berries to get the juice from them. She poured that in too and I lit the flame beneath the cauldron.

We hummed as we worked, chatting nineteen to the dozen. I had forgotten what a great person she was. I caught James staring over at us several times. Was he looking at me? But then I realised who he was eyeing. _Lily_. Lickle Jamesie Wamsie had gotten himself a lickle crush! I was so going to tease him over this!

After an hour of stirring around the potion which had turned to the sky blue colour as described in our books, Slughorn congratulated us on our hard work and let us off homework. I hi-fived Lily and raced out the door with the Marauders before he could change his mind.

"James Potter", I confronted, "Is there something that you aren't telling us?" The accused turned beetroot red.

"No", he lied.

"I don't believe you!" I sang. Sirius, Remus and Peter were now looking between us curiously. "Is it something to do with a certain red haired person?" Realisation dawned on Remus' face, Sirius grinned madly whilst Peter's puzzled expression clearly displayed his lack of realisation. James on the other hand, blushed even deeper and vigorously shook his head.

"**James loves Li-" **Sirius chanted.

"Silencio!" James interrupted, performing an OWL level spell with ease. Sirius opened and shut his mouth, but no sound came out. James looked smug. Sirius' face had contorted with rage and he began making hand motions between James and Lily. I distinctly made out a love heart.

We followed James into an old, disused, empty classroom.

"Jamsie luuuuuurves Lilykins! Jamsie Luuuuuurves Lilykins!" I sang, skipping in a circle. Sirius joined in with me and we pranced around the room, screeching at the top of our voices.

"I like her", James corrected.

"Why?" Peter asked curiously. Sirius and I fell silent.

"Why? Why not! I love everything about her, her hair, the way it falls in ripples, the colour of a sunset. Her emerald green twinkling eyes. Her gorgeous laugh and the way she gasps for breath in between giggles. Her intelligence and witty remarks. Her shiny white pearly teeth. Her smile, a smile that lights up the room and makes the world a better place. Her thoughtfulness and willingness to help others. What's not to love about her?" James recited with passion.

We stared open-mouthed at him.

"How long have you been practicing that?" Sirius enquired.

"About 5 months!" James replied. I snorted with laughter.

"Come here, lover boy!" I laughed and gave him a hug. "Look tell Lils what you just told us there and you'll win her over for sure!" James perked up at that.

"Are you sure?" He asked sceptically.

"Positive!" I confirmed, patting him on the back.

"What class is she in now?"

"Charms", Remus answered, "Where we're supposed to be right now!"

"Right!" Sirius proclaimed, "To Charms!"

We raced out of the classroom to the Charms corridor, none of us knowing that the girl that he was about to profess his love for would one day be his wife.


	6. Love and Arguments

_Hello Readers! Thanks so much for all of the reviews! This chapter was so fun to write! I would just like to add that I love Lily, but her temper had to come out at some point! Please review!_

_I do not own Harry Potter_

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James burst through the door of Professor Flitwick's classroom. Surprise registered on the students' faces and they began whispering to each other.

"Potter, Black, Lupin, Griffon, Pettigrew. What is the meaning of this?" Flitwick demanded.

James strolled straight past the little man and didn't stop until he reached Lily Evans' desk. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her out from behind her desk.

"Potter! What in Merlin's name are you doing! Let go of me!" She bustled indignantly.

"Lily Evans. My Lily-Flower." He proclaimed. Lily stopped struggling and fixed him with an icy glare. The Slytherin's didn't even bother to cover their snickers.

"Potter", Flitwick warned. James carried on, ignoring everyone and everything around him.

"You are stunning in every way. Your beautiful red hair that cascades down to your waist like a waterfall of lava." The Slytherins were roaring with laughter. Lily had blushed crimson all over and began to try and wriggle out of James' grip.

"Your incredible emerald green eyes and soft rose petal lips. Your beautiful laugh that lights up the world and your smile…your smile is indescribable."

"Potter!" Lily and Professor Flitwick shouted at the same time. James remained oblivious.

"You are as intelligent as Merlin, Ravenclaw and Dumbledore combined, with a hint of Godric Gryffindor. Your wit and humour captivate me. Every move you make, every word that leaves your lips transfixes me. Lily Evans, I love you. Will you go out with me?" James recited, passion, lust (and love?) filled his earnest hazel eyes and I think that any girl in the world would melt on the spot.

Any girl but Lily.

"POTTER!" She bellowed. "LET GO OF ME THIS INSTANT!" She swiped her arm from his hold and smacked him sharply across the face. The sound of the impact echoed across the room and the room fell eerily silent.

"How _dare_ you embarrass me like this", Lily seethed, her eyes blazing with anger.

"But-" James interjected.

"In front of my class and my teacher", she whispered venomously.

"But-" James attempted to intervene.

"After all the times that you and the _Marauders_", she spat viciously, "jinxed my best friend, you have the nerve to even think that I would go out with you".

"But-"

"You make me sick! Don't ever speak to me again or I will not be responsible for my actions." She threatened. She turned on her heel and faced Flitwick. "Professor, I apologise on the behalf of this toerag for this disruption to your class." Flitwick's mouth opened and shut but no words came out.

With that she spun around and stormed out of the room. Two seconds later, she stuck her head through the door.

"Oh, and Alice, don't forget to get me the homework." She added before finally exiting in a dramatic fashion, her mane of red girls swinging from side to side.

"Amy, will you please go after her?" Flitwick begged. I nodded and followed the furious girl. Just as I was leaving I heard Professor Flitwick mention some detentions but the love struck boy could not reply. His face was ashen and I heard him leave the classroom behind me.

"LILY!" I bellowed, rushing down a corridor after the distraught redhead, "LILY!" The girl in question skidded to a halt and turned to face me. Her face was red and blotchy from the tears that were spilling down here cheeks.

"What now Amy", she snapped irritably.

"I want to know how you're feeling and what's going through that magnificent mind of yours."

"What I'm feeling right now? I'll tell you what I'm feeling right now! I'm mortified! I can't believe you're nerve! After your little shit of a friend went and showed me up, in front of both Professor Flitwick and the rest of our class!" She ranted furiously. I blinked dumbly.

"Look, Lily, I'm sorry, I really am, but I think that James really does care about you", I reasoned.

"Care for me?" She gave a sharp cold laugh, "Yeah right, he only wants the attention!"

"Lily, please, give him a chance", I pleaded, turning on the puppy dog eyes.

"Give him a chance? Have you gone mental?" Lily asked coldly.

"Please Lily, he's my friend!" I begged.

"Oh yeah, because you and Sev get along like a Nimbus and a Cleansweep! Please!" She retorted. "Amy, I'm fed up of this unnecessary crap. It's time for you to choose. You can either be best friends with me or them. I'm sorry that it's come to this".

I blinked away tears that were threatening to fall from my eyes. How could she make me choose? This wasn't the usual kind-hearted Lily I knew.

"Lils, how can you make me choose? You know that I love you to bits. You're like my sister. The boys, they're like my brothers. How could you?" I sniffed through my blocked up nose.

"I can't do this juggling. I don't want to be second best to them anymore, it's not fair! Who do you choose", she argued.

"I choose them", I decided and I fled, blinded by tears. I heard sobs from behind me.

I flew up to our dormitory, bursting in on a shocked Alice.

"Amy, what's wrong", she asked, concerned. She was such a nice girl.

"Ali, Lily and I had an-um-disagreement, so I'm gonna move dorms", I weeped as she pulled me into a hug. She helped me pack my bags and she was a great help (apart from when she whacked her knee off the bed post!).

I raced up the stairs and tentatively tapped the boys' door. A well-rehearsed chorus of "come ins" replied. Remus was reading, Peter was doing some homework and Sirius was talking to a heart-broken James. They looked up as I entered the door.

"It's only me", I said innocently, "Mind if I camp here for a while?"

They rushed over and Remus instantly enveloped me in a hug as I cried into his shoulder. I explained what had happened (cue more hugs, although James apologised repeatedly). Then they helped me set up my pile of blankets in between Remus' and Sirius' bed.

I didn't get much sleep that night.


	7. The Letter

The weeks that followed were dreadful. Lily and I were on a surname only basis and only spoke when absolutely necessary, and even then only one worded sentences. It was quite depressing.

The Marauders however, had become even closer. We spent most nights creeping around the castle under James' invisibility cloak and throwing things at . We even discovered some secret passage ways! Some were simply rooms, whilst other lead to places that we believe to have been undiscovered prior to our adventures!

The animagi process was going well. We were following the book strictly and much to our delight, we were only two chapters away from the chapter that we have been in anticipation of-the patronus charm! Apparently our corpeal patronus forms will be the shape that we shall become once we become animagi!

The first full moon came and went. I felt the usual pain, but it was nothing that I couldn't handle without James, Sirius and Peter. It was nothing compared to what my dad and Remus had to endure. The thoughts of becoming an animagus sustained me through that tough night.

The next morning, I shakily flopped down at the breakfast table and reached for a slice of toast. I hadn't even taken a bite out of it when a copy of the Daily Prophet landed in front of me along with a letter.

"Thanks, Athena!" I called after the owl.

Munching on my toast, I unfolded the newspaper and almost dropped it as the bold headline dominating the front page hit me like a slap on the face.

**ATTACKS CONTINUING: MINISTRY BAFFLED BY MUGGLEBORN MURDERS **

I couldn't help glancing over at Lily, who looked suspiciously quiet that morning. What if something happened to her and we hadn't made up? I'd never forgive myself. But then again, this argument was only partly my fault. She had said some extremely nasty things. Not to mention that my stubborn pride won't allow me to be the one to back down first.

I continued reading the article. The murderers had slaughtered a ten year old boy and his muggle parents because they had seen him perform magic. Neither he nor his parents had even known about our world. He hadn't even gotten his chance to be at Hogwarts.

"Moony! Have you seen this?" I asked him as he flopped down beside me. Poor Remus looked terrible. He was only capable of walking once he had someone to lean on (Sirius was his current crutch). His left arm and leg were heavily bandaged where he had bitten out chunks of his own flesh. Madame Pomfrey had mended hid two broken ribs although he still winced as he moved and his black eye was disguised under a glamour charm. There was no covering the black circles beneath his worried eyes. He frowned and shook his head so I shoved the paper under his nose. His eyes darted over the page so fast that they were a blur and he paled noticeably.

"That's barbaric!" He spat angrily, "How could they do that? Who did it?"

"I don't think that they caught them, or even know who did it. It doesn't mention any names or trials in the article, anyway", I answered as James and Sirius (closely followed by Peter) joined us.

"Have you seen the Daily Prophet?" James asked.

"Yeah, James does your dad know anything?" Remus enquired seriously.

"Well if he does, he can't tell me, but I don't think so!" James replied. Sirius swore angrily.

"What are the odds that my _family _have something to do with this", Sirius seethed, "It's always pureblood this and purebloods that, and 'muggles are scum and should all me hung'. My own relations make me sick!"

"Hey, Sirius, it's ok. We know that you're nothing like the Black family. The only thing that you inherited from them are your dashing looks, alright?" I told him.

"Thanks Ams, but y'know it still sulks being me sometimes. Whenever I'm at home, I'm referred to as the 'blood traitor'."

James looked aghast.

"Hey mate, you never told us that before!" He exclaimed, patting Sirius on the back.

"There was no point, what can you do about it?" Sirius muttered. I felt my heart go out to him.

"We're Marauders", Remus began.

"We have no secrets", I added.

"At least not from each other!" Peter finished proudly.

As we laughed I remembered that I had a letter from that morning and I pulled it from my pocket (where it had been stuffed into). I unfolded it and read it.

_Amy,_

_I am writing to you from St. Mungo's. Your father seriously injured himself last night during the transformation. He lost an awful lot of blood and I was unable to heal his injuries sufficiently so I brought him to St. Mungo's. He will undergo some intensive surgery tomorrow morning. Darling, it doesn't look good and his condition is deteriorating rapidly. He simply doesn't have the strength left to fight. _

_I sent a letter to Professor Dumbledore and he has agreed to allow you to floo to the hospital at midday. Be prepared, and don't be frightened by what you see. I will be waiting for you by the lift._

_Love, _

_Mum_

The letter slipped through my fingers and my blood ran cold. I couldn't lose my dad. My dad was my idol. '_It doesn't look good' _what in the name of Merlin does that mean? It couldn't be happening. No, my dad is strong and this is a letter meant for some other girl with a werewolf father and silly Athena took it to me by accident.

My legs suddenly couldn't support my weight but a pair of strong arms caught me before I came into contact with the floor. I looked up into a pair of warm chocolate eyes.

"Amy, what's wrong?" He whispered concernedly. James, Sirius and Peter scooted over as Remus pulled me onto the bench beside him.

"It's-it's my d-dad." I choked as tears welled in my eyes. "He-he h-hurt himself b-badly and he's in St. Mungo's. I h-have to v-visit him. Before it's-it's too l-late." The tears began streaming down my cheeks and I sobbed loudly. They comforted me as well as they could, and offered to accompany me on the visit. I gladly accepted and we waited in solemn silence for the clock to strike twelve.


	8. St Mungo's

_Hello Readers! This is an interesting one! What does Amy's dad want to talk to Remus about? Next chapter has the first Remus POV (point of view). PLEASE REVIEW!_

_I do not own Harry Potter_

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Eventually, my tear supply ran out and I sat squashed in between Sirius and Remus, opposite Professor McGonagall's office, staring out into space. My eyes were raw and red from crying and my makeup had run, giving me panda-like eyes and black-streaked cheeks. My thoughts were all jumbled up and my head felt like it was going to explode. Even the Marauder's were silent. The only noise was the ticking of the clock that James had summoned.

I didn't notice anybody else's presence until suddenly I heard a shout.

"Amy! What happened?" My head spun around so quickly that I heard a crack and I winced, rubbing it.

"What's it to you Lil, I mean Evans?" I muttered coldly, not needing this at that precise moment in time. I regretted my tone as I saw the hurt on her face.

"Oh, Amy, I'm sorry! Please, I'm so, so sorry! I shouldn't have made you choose! I was such a horrible bitch! I don't want to fight with you!" She pleaded, her eyes shining with diamond like tears. James was evidently torn between hugging her (even though he'd receive a black eye) or me.

I stumbled clumsily to my feet and embraced her like a long lost sister.

"I'm sorry too Lils! I didn't want to fight any more in case something happened but I was too stubborn to give in! I'm sorry!" I apologised.

"It's ok Amy, but what in Godric's name has happened? Why are you so upset?" She enquired concernedly.

"It's my dad", I began and I showed her the letter. Her eyes were shining as she hugged me tightly.

"I'm coming too", she decided. I smiled gratefully at her and she sat on Remus' other side, him being the only Marauder that she was on friendly terms with.

If the silence had been tense before, now it was deafening. Lily wiped my face clean with a tissue, and sent it flying to the nearest bin just before the clock struck twelve. Together we marched into the office.

At any other time, I would have acknowledged the interior of Minerva McGonagall's office, but at that moment, I only had eyes for the ornate fireplace. Professor McGonagall handed us the floo powder.

"Send your father my best wishes for his fast recovery", she told me, "he was one of my best students". In case you're wondering, my father didn't get infected until he was twenty three.

"Thank you, Professor", I said to her as the emerald flames engulfed me.

I came into contact with the floor and quickly dived away from the fireplace in order to avoid being squashed by the oncoming Marauders (and Lily!). One by one they followed suit, and together we searched for the lift where my mum said she would meet us.

's was large, clean and well run. Within minutes, we found the lift and my mother. I positively flew into her arms.

"Mum, where is he?" I asked her quickly. She looked dreadful. There were fresh black bags beneath her eyes, her hair was greasy and her eyes were riddled with worry. She had age a decade.

"Hi Amy, hi boys, and you must be Lily", my mother greeted as warmly as someone in her position was capable of being. "I'm so pleased to meet you, although the circumstances are most unfortunate. Follow me."

We all stepped into the lift and arrived at the first floor, CREATURE-INDUCED INJURIES. Mum led us through several corridors before finally stopping outside a door.

I swung the door open and reached my father's bedside in two massive sides.

"Dad!" I gasped. His skin was the colour of the bedsheets but it had an unhealthy yellow tinge to it. He had a deep wound stretching down the side of his face that was still oozing blood despite the bandage covering it. His hair was matted with blood. The sheets covered any further injuries. His eyes had been shut but they flew open at my voice.

"Amy! How are you, little wolf?" He asked in a croaky voice.

"Dad, I'm fine, but you obviously aren't, you really had us going there!" I choked, trying to conceal my shock at seeing my father in such a bad condition. He smiled at me, although it turned into a grimace of pain midway through. He shifted uncomfortably and I saw a glimpse of blood stained bandages around his torso.

"Hi boys, how are you? How's school been going?" Dad said to the Marauders. "Not been causing too much mischief I hope! And this is surely the famous Lily Evans! It's a pleasure to meet you!" He reached out a bruised hand to shake her tiny one. She smiled radiantly at him.

"I am indeed sir, and trust me, the pleasure is all mine", she said politely.

"I believe that you're the one keeping manners on Amy then!" Dad laughed before it turned into a wheeze and he clutched his chest in pain. Mum passed him a tissue and he coughed fitfully into it. As my mother pulled the tissue away, I noticed that it was stained crimson. My heartbeat sped up. I unconsciously grabbed someone's hand and gripped it extremely tight. It was my only grip on normality.

I think that my mother caught my expression because she suddenly exclaimed her interest for a cup of tea.

"Amy, Lily, boys, come on and we'll grab a drink", she suggested. We all heartily agreed.

"Wait, Remus, do you mind helping me with this contraption here, I spent an hour trying to work it out." My dad asked, pointing to a weird black box thingy in the corner of the room. Moony ever being the helpful one heartily agreed. I left after my mother and suddenly realised the lack of the hand in my grasp. It had been Remus'!


	9. The Wisdom of a Father

_Hello readers!_**First ever Remus POV!**_ I think that I'll include several more as the story goes on, **PLEASE REVIEW** and tell me your opinions on Remus!  
_

_I do not own Harry Potter_

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**REMUS POV**

Mr. Griffon wanted to say something to me. I wasn't stupid. I wasn't top of the class for nothing. I do admit that I study. That I like studying. That I study almost as much as Lily, alright you get the picture.

I knew that the others didn't notice. Poor Amy was too distraught about her father to notice anything peculiar. The boys were too preoccupied with the thought of refreshments to think about much else. obviously had enough on her mind without having to dwell upon why her poorly husband wished to speak with her daughter's friend. The only one who had a hope of noticing anything was probably Lily.

I sat down in the chair beside the 's bed and picked up the remote from the bedside table.

"Ok, so to turn on the television, you simply press down on the red circular button." I instructed.

"It's alright, Remus", he stopped me. "I figured out the tele-ridon this morning. That's not why I asked you to stay behind and we both know that you know that."

"Yeah, I know sir, I kind of guessed", I smiled coyly.

"There's no need to call me sir, Remus, you can call me Andrew." He told me. "It's actually my daughter I would like to talk about." I blinked, not having expected that response.

"You love her", he said. It was a statement, not a question. I almost fell off the chair in shock.

"What?" I asked, feigning innocence, ah yes, those puppy eyes that Sirius was famous for might just work. A little wider there Moony, more watery..perfect!

"Andrew, she's like a sister to me, I swear-"

"-It's alright, boy. I know just how you feel. Even all of these years later, I still get hippogriff's in my stomach when I hear Amber laugh".

I began to protest but Andrew cut me off.

"There's no use in denying it! Even though you might not know it yet, I can see it!" He chuckled before choking and coughing up his lungs into a handkerchief. I handed him his glass of water. "Thanks, Remus. Now, back to business. I see the way that you look at her, and believe me, I see the way that she looks at you in return. I saw how she grabbed your hand when she needed support and I also saw how you willingly gave it to her".

I looked up into his kind amber eyes, so eerily alike his daughters'.

"You know, this old man may be a goner, but I can still spot love when it's staring me in the face. Another example is Mr. Potter and Ms. Evans. Make sure that he doesn't give up on her!" He added.

"Don't worry Andrew, he won't!" I told him confidently.

"Please mind her, Remus." He pleaded. "Keep an eye out for her in school. I fear that even the walls of Hogwarts under the protection of Albus Dumbledore are not enough to keep the darkness away from the light."

"Oh and one more thing Remus", he added. "Whatever you do in life, do not allow being a werewolf to stop you marrying the woman that you fall in love with. Do not let it prevent you from having children. Do not let it stop you from getting the job you want or from preventing you from living your dreams."

"I let it dominate my life and it took every ounce of my wife's persistence and stubbornness to make me see sense. Don't make the mistakes that I did."

I looked deep into his eyes as I promised him that I wouldn't allow what I am to destroy my life. It's who I am that matters.

"Oh, and Remus, I know that you and your friends are pranksters", he added.

"I can rest assure you sir-"

"No, it's ok, I was a troublemaker in my day too and I would like to pass you on an idea. I must admit that it happens to be our most incredibly evil masterplan. As far as we know, it has never been done before."

My curious side was intrigued and I leaned in to listen closer, my eyes twinkling with mischief.

"My friends and I had a plan in seventh year, but we were too preoccupied with NEWTS and we ran out of time. The idea was to plot a map of Hogwarts". He continued. "I won't say anymore, but I daresay that you, Amy and the boys will be able to add on to that."

My jaw dropped open. A map of Hogwarts! It was ingenious! I could have kissed the man…except I'm not…that way! Millions of thoughts whizzed through my brain, breaking speed limits and I couldn't possibly prevent the gigantic grin spread across my face. It was perfect.

Before I could say anything back to Andrew, Sirius burst through the door and the moment was lost. I couldn't wait to tell the Marauders!


	10. Left Behind Forever

_Hello Readers! I'm afraid that this is a sad chapter. Thanks for the fantastic reviews, please keep them coming, without further ado, I give you chapter ten!_

_I do not own Harry Potter_

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**AMY POV:**

I kissed my dad on each cheek and wished him luck for his operation. It wasn't long before we tumbled out of the fireplace in Hogwarts and fell into a restless sleep.

All too soon, I was roughly shaken awake by a wide-eyed Lily.

"Amy! Get up! Get dressed! Quickly! Come on! It's your dad!" she shrieked hysterically. I shot out of bed and threw on the nearest clothes to me. I found the Marauders waiting outside the door.

Together, we raced to McGonagall's office where she had the fireplace ready. She was unusually bight eyed and when she spoke, her voice wavered.

"Give my wishes to your parents", she told me as I was absorbed by the emerald flames.

My feet had barely made contact with the floor when I began sprinting. My friends were hot on my heels.

"Hey! No running!" A healer shouted at us but we ignored her protests and skidded into the room where my dad had been. It was empty. Just as panic built in my chest, Remus calmly asked a healer,

"Excuse me, but could you tell us where has been moved to, this is his daughter here?"

"I shouldn't really be telling you this, but you seem desperate. He's in the Merlin ward, second on your right", she instructed. James thanked her, and we skidded down the corridor.

Sirius was the fastest runner and he burst through the door. I came behind him and instantly spotted my mother.

"Mum!" What's going on?" I sobbed. Her face was frozen and her eyes wide, she numbly indicated towards dad. He was perfectly still on the bed. His skin was the colour of the hospital sheets and he was hooked up to numerous evil looking contraptions which beeped on irregular intervals. His breathing was haggard and forced, his eyes shut.

I collapsed onto the armchair beside his bed and pulled it closer. I grabbed his freezing cold hand and gripped it tightly. My eyes closed and I begged. I begged any gods, or whoever the hell could help to make my dad better. He couldn't go.

I pleaded with Godric Gryffindor, I begged Merlin – I even considered asking Salazar Slytherin before jolting back to my senses. The irregular beeping noise began to slow down. I didn't know what it meant but surely it wasn't good. I shot my mother a panicked look and Sirius ran for a Healer. He was back less than a minute later with a plump lady in uniform. She took Dad's pulse and consulted with the machines.

She shouted for help and several Healers ran to her aid. We were pushed aside as they flooded to my father. They began pouring potions down his neck and were performing healing spells on him. Mum had silent tears streaming down her face and my cheeks were wet too. I pushed my way through the healers and grabbed Dad's hand again. I knew it was too late.

Everything went into slow motion. It was just me, Dad and the irritating beeping noise that told me that he was still here. But then it was just Dad and I as the beeping noise stopped. He was still, his chest was no longer rising and I knew.

"NOOOOO! DAD! COME BACK!" I screamed hysterically. I shook the bed violently, trying to wake him up. "STOP JOKING! WAKE UP!"

But he didn't move. He never would ever again.

I was engulfed by strong arms and I cried harder than ever before. I cried myself hoarse for hours. It felt as though my heart had been ripped out.

My dad was dead. That's not supposed to happen until I'm an adult, an old adult. My daddy wasn't supposed to leave me. He was too young. He died because some stupid operation went wrong. He needed the operation because he attacked himself until he was on the verge of death.

What had it been like for him?

**REMUS POV**

I watched as Andrew Griffon struggled to survive. I knew that it was too late. I had known since yesterday. He had known himself. Amy hadn't.

The look on her face as she saw her father breathe his last breath absolutely broke my heart. It ripped it out and tore it into millions of tiny pieces.

She screamed. A hysterical, terrified, vulnerable sound that should never have been uttered by anybody. It pierced through my skin and flooded through my body like only the Full Moon could.

I instinctively pulled her into my arms. I murmured to her that everything would be fine. I promised her that we'd never leave her, that she wasn't alone.

The tears didn't stop.


	11. Saying Goodbye

_Hello Readers! Another depressing chapter, but I can assure you that the next few are anything but! Thank you very much for the reviews, please keep them coming!_

_**PLEASE SEE MY PROFILE FOR LINKS ON IMAGES OF AMY, LILY & THE MARAUDERS!**  
_

_I do not own Harry Potter_

* * *

The next two days passed in a blur of tears, tissues, funeral arrangements, sleeping potions and floo powder. Nothing could have possibly prepared me for the funeral.

Professor Dumbledore had a word with my mother and kindly allowed me to take both the day of the funeral and the day after off school. He also permitted the Marauder's and Lily to come to the funeral.

I faced the hardest moment in my life when the time came to close the lid of my father's coffin. I stared at his peaceful face so hard that it blurred, inscribing it into my memory forever. As the lid slid over, I realised, that I couldn't do it. I couldn't possibly allow them to seal the lid. It would mean that I would never see my dad ever again.

"NOOOOOO!" I screamed. I lunged after the coffin, desperate to pull the lid off and hug my father for eternity. James and Sirius had to restrain me until I collapsed to the floor in a sobbing mess.

Remus and Sirius half-supported, half-carried me to the muggle hearse and helped me and my mother into the car. My father had been a muggle lover, it was what he would have wanted.

The silence was deafening as we travelled along the road, muffled only by sobs and the rain lashing violently like knives against the windscreen. The sky was grey and it was freezing cold. The weather seemed to match the mood.

As we entered the wizard-friendly chapel all eyes turned to my mother and I. We could feel the sympathy directed towards us. There was a smell of sorrow in the air.

I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of people that showed up to pay their respects to my father. I even saw the majority of my teachers and even Professor Dumbledore! Hagrid, being good friends with my parents was sitting in a magically strengthened chair at the back of the church. His eyes were as red and puffy as mine, and he had a tablecloth sized handkerchief on standby.

Lily and the boys' parents were also in attendance and I recognised a scary looking man with a mad eye that constantly spun around. He had come to our house on several occasions. I believe he was an Auror. I tried eavesdropping before and they were talking about 'the Order' whatever that is. I was caught before I heard anything else.

The service was long and drawn out, there was no way that I could concentrate on what the stubby man was droning on about. It seemed petty and insignificant. Why should we be sitting here whilst this man I didn't even know was talking about a load of rubbish when my daddy had just died?

I was snapped out of my daydream by an anxious Lily tugging on my sleeve.

"Come on Amy, it's time", she whispered. I swallowed a lump in my throat and let her pull me to my feet. With Mum on my right and Remus on my left we trudged out of the chapel and slowly trudged outside.

As far as cemeteries go, this one was nice. It was small and tranquil. The graves were well maintained; they had shining headstones and a vast variety of fresh flowers. However, no matter how well it was disguised, there was no way to conceal the grim reality that was the function of a graveyard.

Especially when you were about to bury your dad there.

We all gathered around an open grave. I couldn't see the bottom of it. It seemed cold and forbidding. The coffin came floating after us.

A steady stream of tears streamed down my cheeks but I didn't bother wiping them away. Many others were in a similar situation, especially mum.

I didn't even realise that the man had been talking until my dad's coffin began to lower itself down into the grave.

"STOP!" I screeched doing my best to reach my dad's coffin. Remus grabbed my arms and held me back.

"LET GO OF ME!" I screamed. I barely registered the hurt in his face, but he didn't let go. Everyone was staring at me with sympathy. The coffin didn't stop. It continued to descend into the darkness until we could no longer see it. To my horror, the grave promptly began to fill itself with soil.

He was at rest now. He was with my grandparents and his older sister who had died before he was born. But he wasn't here with me and mum and he never would be again.

I was never going to see him again. I was never going to speak to him, laugh with him, listen to him ever again.

He was gone.

I sank to my knees, bawling uncontrollably. My whole body shook violently. I screamed myself hoarse until everybody left for the Leaky Cauldron and only my mother, the Marauder's, Lily and their parents were left.

Mum wrapped her arms around me and rocked me back and forth as though I were an infant. I didn't mind being mollycoddled, I needed it. Mum too had tears rolling down her face, she had just lost her soul mate and yet she still put my needs in front of her own.

The only reason I went to the Leaky Cauldron was to support my mother, but I can promise you that the bliss of slipping into my warm, cosy bed and crying myself to sleep that night was indescribable.


	12. Quidditch

_Hello Readers! As promised, this is a more upbeat chapter, enjoy and **please review!**_

_**See my profile for images of Amy, Lily and the Marauders!  
**_

_I do not own Harry Potter!_

* * *

Three days later, I stumbled down to breakfast at Hogwarts. As per usual with my new routine, I was a complete zombie. My hair was scraped back from my face in a resemblance of a ponytail, I had circles beneath my eyes and my communication consisted of monotonic grunts and shrugging of shoulders.

To think that I used to be a fun and lively person. They were the days.

I was snapped out of my daydreaming (a new habit to add to the zombie collection) by a way-too-enthusiastic-for-the-morning-person-also-known-as-James. He was positively bounding around the place.

"QUIDDITCH TRY OUTS!" He shrieked like a banshee. Peter swooned, Remus rolled his eyes and Sirius joined James in running laps of the Great Hall as if that would help impress the captain.

"Oh, and Amy, I signed you up to try out as Seeker", he added as an afterthought.

Now if anything could wake me up, that could.

"WHAT!" I yelled, causing the sky of the Great Hall to become stormy. I think birds even flew out of the Whomping Willow. All eyes were on me. I didn't think that it was possible to shout so loud.

Awkward…

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Two hours later, with much persuasion on James' and Sirius' part, I was kitted out in my Quidditch gear, had my Nimbus 1800 in hand and was freezing my arse off at the Quidditch pitch. Last year, Ravenclaw had won the house cup and it was clear that the new captain wished for a Gryffindor victory this year.

The new captain was a 6th year student called Patrick O'Donnell. He was tall, with a slender, muscled build and a dazzling smile that made girls swoon. He had blonde hair and impish green eyes not unlike Lily's. He was Gryffindor's star chaser and had been on the team for the last four years.

There was a large crowd assembled, both as spectators and applications. Patrick was in the middle of it all, trying to regain some calm.

"RIGHT! LISTEN UP!" he shouted angrily. Everybody fell silent. "Thank you, now I want everybody who applied as Chaser to go to the far side of the pitch and all Seeker hopefuls to stay here. Anybody who hasn't signed up, get off the pitch, the stands are open if you want to watch."

I waved goodbye to Remus, Sirius and Lily who made their way to the stands.

"GOOD LUCK JAMES! GOOD LUCK MARLENE!" I shouted to James and my roommate Marlene, both of whom were flying against each other for the much conveyed position as chaser.

"Right, Seekers, you go to the stands. The chasers are going first. I'll call you when we're ready." Patrick told us.

I joined Lily, Remus and Sirius and we watched as the Chasers flew around the pitch at top speeds. Patrick, the second chaser, Lucy Rivers, Beaters Fabian and Gideon Prewett and Keeper Tessa Helt were judging.

One by one they were sent off the pitch, often in tears. Eventually they were left with only ten chasers. They were each handed a Quaffle and Tessa flew to the hoops. They had to dodge the Prewett's Bludgers and score at the same time. It was a process of elimination. Miss and you're out.

By their fourth shot, they were left with 6 fliers. On Round 5, Marlene failed to get the Quaffle passed the skilled Keeper. We all sighed, but Marlene had done extremely well to get this far. Besides, James was still in the running!

It was twenty minutes before they were left to two candidates: James and a 6th Year called Antony Murray. They both scored on the first round, but then Murray failed to dodge Gideon Prewett's Bludger. It struck him on the elbow, sending his Cleensweep spinning. We all held our breath as he struggled to regain his seat. He cursed loudly and flung the Quaffle towards the hoop.

We watched as the scarlet Quaffle spun through the air it was aimed for the middlee hoop, but Tessa deflected it with ease.

When it was his turn, James grinned and swerved past the dreaded Bludgers, scoring through the left hoop with ease. James Potter was the new Chaser!

We all cheered loudly, but I had no time to congratulate him because I soon found myself on my Nimbus.

Our first instruction was to fly around the pitch. I did this with ease, but others didn't. Around half of the candidates were shunned from the pitch due to pathetic attempts at flying!

After that, we had to pass a Quaffle around. We lost a few applicants there as well. Soon, Patrick began to toss muggle tennis balls for us to swoop and catch. I caught each one that he threw for me, but others weren't too lucky. We were reduced to five fliers.

Patrick swapped the tennis balls for even smaller dof no not dof…golf balls. He hurled these without mercy and we swerved and dived and whizzed on our brooms to try and catch the golf balls. Within five minutes only a 4th Year girl called Susie Colt and I were remaining.

"Right! It's time to let out the Snitch! First to catch it gets the place, but don't forget to dodge the Bludgers!" Patrick announced. I grinned confidently and quickly surveyed my opposition. She was tall-too tall to be Seeker-and lanky with blonde hair scraped back from her face. She had a friendly face but her brown eyes were narrowed in concentration.

We mounted our brooms and rose into the air. Patrick released the Snitch. I saw it briefly before it zoomed out of sight. I flew the perimeter of the pitch, my eyes peeled for any sign of movement, my ears perked for any sound of buzzing or wings flapping.

I was vaguely aware of my friends cheering like a mad troop of leprechauns in the stands. Susie was circling the pitch, her stature similar to my own.

Half an hour later, I was just beginning to give up hope when I suddenly heard a faint buzzing noise. I perked up and strained my ears. I wasn't imagining it. I whipped around on my broom and looked down. It was there, the golden Snitch, hovering half way down the pitch.

I was about to accelerate and fly after it but Susie was closer. She hadn't spotted it yet but if I sped up, she would notice and get there first. I began to tentatively move closer to the Snitch. I still had it in my sight.

Susie glanced at me and to my horror, spotted the Snitch. We both accelerated, flattening ourselves against the handle of our brooms. The wind rushed past our faces, blowing our hair behind us. The Snitch seemed to sense its danger and darted downwards. It descended rapidly until it was less than a metre from the ground.

Susie and I were neck and neck. I urged my Nimbus to go faster. I pulled ahead slightly and pushed the handle of my broom downwards until it was almost vertical. Susie fell behind, unable to keep up with my dramatic and dangerous swoop.

One of my hands left my broom and stretched in front of me. Before I knew it, I had the struggling Snitch in my hand.

I had done it, I was Seeker!


	13. Plots and Passages

_Hello Readers! Happy Halloween to you all! I hope you enjoy this chapter, **PLEASE** **REVIEW!** See my page for **links of images**** of the main characters!**_

_I do not own Harry Potter_

* * *

It was a month after my dad's funeral, nearing the end of October when Remus said that he had something to tell us. Before we could say anything he dragged us into a secret passage-more of a room- that we had discovered the week previously.

It was small, dark, damp and smelled of cheese for some reason but all the same, WE had found it! We all looked expectantly at Remus who suddenly looked edgy.

"Moony, what is it?" James asked.

He shot me a pained look.

"What is it? Go on, tell us!" Sirius prompted.

"Um, I didn't really want to say it til now, Amy, it's something that your dad told me." He confessed, his eyes fixed on mine. My eyes widened.

"What did he say?" I choked, my eyes filling with tears.

"Oh, nothing too much of importance, but he did pass on a fantastic idea."

"What's the idea?" Peter asked, beating me to the mark.

"To make a map of Hogwarts!"

Approximately two seconds of silence followed this before everyone spoke in a rush, speaking over each other and speaking at a speed of 300 words per second. It went something like this…

"That's AMAZING!"

"It's BRILLIANT!"

"GENIUS!"

"How did he think of that?"

"Why didn't we think of that?"

"It can be called…The _Marauder's_ Map!"

"That definitely has a ring to it!"

"All in favour of the Marauder's Map say 'I'," James solemnly ordered, his hand on his heart.

"I" we chorused, mimicking his gesture.

"Right, we need magical parchment and specialised quills." Remus planned, a sparkle in his eyes.

"We should include all of the passage ways and rooms that we found!" Peter said brightly. Honestly, he was so excited that I half-expected him to wet his pants!

"It needs a twist." I decided, "Something that separates it from other maps of other buildings."

"Yeah, but what?" Sirius agreed.

"What about secrecy?" James asked. "So that only we can read the map."

"Where would we find charms like that?" Remus asked sensibly.

"We could always just have a password," I suggested. "Like for the common room, but more…us."

"Dung bomb!" Sirius shouted.

"No, it would have to be more complicated, maybe a phrase or a sentence." Remus pondered aloud.

"Yeah!" Peter contributed unhelpfully.

"I promise that I'll use this map for pranking", James offered.

"That can be worked with", Remus commented, "it just needs to be rephrased."

"I swear-" Sirius began.

"I solemnly swear!" I interjected.

"Brilliant!" Peter squeaked.

"I solemnly swear that…I'll use this map for mischief", I continued.

"Too long!" Sirius yawned.

"I solemnly swear that…I'm a prankster", James suggested.

"Nah!" I dismissed.

"I've got it! Wait for it, wait for it! Drumroll, please!" Sirius proclaimed, dancing around the room with glee. "I solemnly swear that…I am up to no good!"

"Sirius Black, that is the best idea that you have had or will ever have in your life!" I declared as we cheered and hi-fived Sirius.

"But how does that make it secretive?" Peter asked, "what if a professor finds the map before it wears out?"

Way to go and spoil a moment, Pete.

"A second password to wipe it blank", Remus said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Something that suggests that you have used the map correctly." James said.

"Prank successful?" Peter tried hopefully.

"Mischief managed", I said softly.

"It's perfect", Remus confirmed.

"It's still missing something," Sirius decided.

"It needs something that will help us sneak around." James said thoughtfully.

"Without getting caught…" Peter added.

"By the Professors", I finished.

"An alarm?" Sirius voiced, "That would ring if a Professor came?"

"No, because then they would know that you are there", I pointed out.

"Oh yeah", Sirius said lamely.

"That's it! Not something to tell you if there's a Professor near you, but where they are at all times!" James exclaimed. "All we'd need is tracking charms!"

"Perfect!" Remus grinned, "They're even in our books, although they are in the 5th Year syllabus."

"We'll manage", Sirius smirked, "After all we are Marauders!"

"Speaking of advanced charms, we need to begin work on our Patronus' soon", I realised.

"Yeah, but I think that we should get all that we need for the map first." James decided.

"I agree", Peter squeaked.

Let the work on the Marauder's map commence!


	14. The Mist

_Hello Readers! This was one of my favourite chapters to write, I hope you enjoy. **Please review!**_

_I do not own Harry Potter_

* * *

But it took far longer than we had anticipated to gather all of the necessary items for the map. It was also far more expensive than we had imagined. The only one of us with suitable means to purchase everything that we needed was James but he didn't want to make his parents suspicious so we went the hard way. We scraped and saved every last knut that we earned and sent order forms by owl to several shops enquiring about their prices.

It was two months before we had everything sorted. A very busy two months at that. It was jam packed with classes, homework, detentions, minor pranks, big Halloween prank (in which the Slytherin table was blown up!), full moons and of course Quidditch practices.

We also had our first Quidditch game against Hufflepuff. Our seeker displayed no mercy and after an hour, I snatched the Snitch claiming a 170 point win for the Lions!

However, not everything was fun and games.

Almost every morning, the Daily Prophet brought bad news. The news seemed to be getting worse and worse. Muggles and Muggleborns were being killed by Dark wizards. Two more ministry of magic officials had gone missing too.

Our main focus however was not classes or even pranking, but the latest animagi obstacle to overcome-the Patronus charm. We went to the library (gasp!) and gathered several important books. Our jaws dropped when we saw how ridiculously complicated it was. It wasn't even on for OWL's! It was NEWT standard!

We spent an entire fortnight studying the theory in our spare time, but eventually we felt as though we simply could not postpone it any longer. It was time to conquer the Patronus charm. We locked ourselves into an old, disused classroom and began.

"Remember, the Patronus charm is the only 100% accurate test as to the form your animagus will take", Remus chanted, reciting the definition almost word-for-word from our trusted guide. "However, it takes a highly skilled being of magic to produce a corpeal Patronus."

"The Patronus Charm conjures an incarnation of the caster's innermost positive feelings", James continued.

"A Patronus is conjured as a protector", I picked up.

"It's form is different for every Witch and Wizard", Peter recited.

"A corpeal Patronus will only be conjured when the caster is focusing on an extremely strong positive memory", Remus added.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's get on with it already!" Sirius prompted impatiently.

We gathered in a horseshoe shape and whipped out our wands, holding them in front of us. Everyone was suddenly nervous, I could see beads of sweat on Peter's forehead.

I scanned through my memories for the best one to use. The first one that I thought of was when I got my Hogwarts letter. That had been a good day.

We exchanged looks and nodded. I concentrated with all my might on the memory.

"Expecto Patronum!" We chanted in unison, our faces contorted in concentration.

Nothing happened. We barely managed to conceal our disappointment.

"That was to be expected, we need to choose different memories." James pointed for once in his life being the practical one. We nodded.

What was happier than Hogwarts? What about when I had gotten the place as Seeker? I had been thrilled! I grinned to myself at the memory.

"Ready to try again?" I found myself asking.

"Yup!" Sirius said, popping the 'p'.

Once again we recited, "Expecto Patronum!"

My mind flooded with broomsticks, Snitches and cheering. To my surprise, I felt something warm flow through my body, heading for my right hand in which my werewolf whisker wand was held.

When I looked up, I saw a vague, simmering silver mist expulsing from my wand but as I had lost concentration, it rapidly faded out of sight.

"That was spectacular!" Remus breathed. Peter nodded fervently, looking at me in a new light and Sirius and James looked slightly put out.

"Come on guys, you can do it too!" I encouraged, "That was only some mist, it didn't mould into its form!"

We spent the next two hours practicing the charm. Remus, James and Sirius soon matched my success and with more practice, we strengthened our attempts and held it for longer, but poor Peter didn't manage it yet.

"Don't worry Pete, you'll get it soon," Remus comforted Peter, whom looked slightly upset.

"Moony?" I asked quietly, once we were alone in the empty classroom.

"That's my name!" He joked, but then added in a more serious tone, "Yes?"

"As a matter of interest, what memory are you using?"

He blinked and much to my surprise, he blushed. I'd never seen the calm, collected Remus blush before. He didn't just get rosy cheeks like most people-his entire face turned crimson!

"Um, I'll tell you…some day", he said softly, not quite meeting my eye. Then he quickly made an excuse to leave and fled from the room.

I blinked, completely puzzled and sat there for a further ten minutes, staring into space.


	15. Christmas

**Hello Readers! Just to let you know that I will be taking abreak from writing this series, the commitment is too much as I don't have enough time. I'm going to improve my writing by writing (and posting one shots) I do, however hope to finish this one first.**

_I do not own Harry Potter_

* * *

Before we knew it, it was Christmas time! Two weeks of no classes, very little homework, three feet of snow, food and sleep! Unlike last year, I was going home for the holidays. My mum was alone now, and I felt as though it was my duty to go home and spend some time with her.

The Marauders were going home to each of their families too. Lily had been planning to return to her parents and cow of a sister, but they had won a holiday and were spending Christmas in Russia. Lily had been distraught, but then I invited her to come home with me.

Needless to say, she had gleefully accepted.

Several days later, Lily and I were sitting in my living room sipping hot chocolate with my mother.

"So girls, how has school been?" Mum asked in a motherly fashion. Lily instantly perked up at the word 'school'.

"Oh, Mrs. Griffon it is simply wonderful!" Lily enthused. "Especially Potions! Of course, the quantity of homework has increased rather drastically, but in my opinion, they are correct to do so. In fact, I had expected more!"

"Well, I think that they shouldn't give us as much!" I protested, "We're finding that we have less time to plan pranks!"

"Thank Merlin", Lily whispered under her breath. I pretended not to notice.

"I was wondering why your father…and I weren't getting as many letters of complaints home", her voice shook.

"Well that's the reason!" I said heartily, desperate to cheer mum up.

This was going to be a hard Christmas…

On Christmas Eve night, I was just drifting off to sleep when Lily whispered to me.

"Amy, why did James embarrass me in Charms like that?"

That was the last thing I had expected her to come out with. I groaned and turned over to face her bed.

"Lils, I think that James genuinely likes you", I told her gently. Even through the darkness, I could see her face contort in indignation.

"But Amy, if he truly liked me, then why does he continue treating Severus the way he does?"

"Lils, Snivellus is not a good person. You know it yourself, deep down. He hangs out with people such as Avery, Mulciber and that Prefect, Malfoy. Their families are Death Eaters and are killing Muggles and Muggleborns as we speak. They will follow in their footsteps, and so will Snivellus." I reasoned.

"Sev would never hurt me", Lily croaked, on the verge of tears.

"Wouldn't he? How do you know? If he was in front of his Death Eater buddies, or was ordered to kill you or your family to prove himself worthy, how do you know that he wouldn't turn on you in an instant?" I countered.

"He already ignores you in front of them, and even makes fun of you in front of them, what's stopping him from taking it further? James sees this, as do Remus, Sirius and I. Peter doesn't really put two and two together. That's why we treat him badly, to warn him, to prevent him from hurting you, Lils." I continued.

"James genuinely cares about you. The only person who knows whether or not he loves you is himself." I finished.

"Thanks Amy", Lily said. There was no more conversation that night, we were both consumed by our own thoughts.

We awoke early on Christmas Day to a backlog of owls tapping on the window. I opened the window, shivering at the freezing cold air and shut it after the owls hopped inside, hooting gratefully.

I recognised the first owl, he was a beautiful barn owl named Godric whom belonged to none other than James Potter. I untied the letters and parcels attatched to them and dropped them on to my bed.

The next owl was a tiny pygmy owl who looked exhausted, he seemed to be carrying a parcel that was the same weight as him. I recognised Peter's handwriting on the parchment.

A great horned owl hooted impatiently at me and shook his head irritably as I removed its packages. I wasn't surprised when I saw Sirius' handwriting.

The final owl was a stunning tawny owl. She hooted softly as I untied the parcels and parchment attatched to her leg. I smiled at her, she was obviously Remus'.

"Go on over to Athena, she'll share her water with you", I told them as I fed them some owl treats. Lily giggled as Sirius' messenger pecked Godric. "Come here, Athena", I called. She flew over to me and I tied the boys' Christmas presents to her leg. Mum had put a light-weight charm on them and had shrunk them down to make it easier for Athena to transport. "Thanks girl and merry Christmas!". She vanished into the night sky.

"Come on, Amy!" Lily said impatiently, "I can hear your mum downstairs!"

Laden with parcels, we hopped down the stairs to the living room where Mum was waiting.

"Happy Christmas, girls!" She greeted merrily, although there was no disguising the redness of her eyes nor the tear marks on her cheeks. She was obviously missing Dad, I was too. "Now let's open presents already!"

We cheered joyfully and tore open the wrapping paper. Lily cheered loudly when she unveiled a new cauldron and potions making kit from her parents, whom had obviously made a ahuge effort to go to Diagon Alley the Muggle way. Our roommates had pitched together to get her an expensive potions book. She hugged me gratefully when I handed her present of beautiful emerald green robes that matched her eyes perfectly.

The boys had given her an assortment of sweets and James had given her an elaborate pair of goblin made earrings accompanied by a love letter. She muttered angrily at this and shoved them aside.

James had sent me a book about werewolves and said in his letter that he would send a book on pranking later, when my mum wasn't around. Smartest move he had ever made, my mum would have been sure to confiscate it!

Sirius sent me the newest executive pranking set from none other than Zonko's! I barely had a chance to hug it to my chest before it was yanked from my arms by Mum who shook her head. Now I'd have to sneak it back later!

Peter gave me an assortment of sweets like Lily's.

When I got to Moony's my jaw dropped. It was an absoloutely gorgeous solid gold charm bracelet which matched my eyes. It had a two charms on it: a full moon and a wolf. How in the name of Merlin had he afforded that? I opened the accompanying letter.

_Amy,_

_Merry Christmas! I hope that you are enjoying the break so far and that you haven't blown up your house…again. The present is a family heirloon, originated on my mother's side. She was an only child but decided to pass it on to me. I'll tell you more about it…some day. _

_Moony_

_P.S. Do you like my new owl? Her name is Eclipse! _

I clasped the bracelet around my wrist-it was absolutely perfect.

"Dear, that is stunning, who gave it to you?" Mum gasped.

"Remus", I answered, still in awe of its beauty. I didn't miss Lily's smirk.

The rest of the day was fantastic. We helped Mum make Christmas dinner (and succeeded, without burning the house down) and played exploding snap and wizard's chess until late.

In fact, the rest of the holidays were just as fantastic too.


	16. The Map

_Hello Readers! Short but momentous chapter, please review!_

_I do not own Harry Potter_

* * *

When we came back from our holidays the atmosphere in the castle was nothing short of tense, in fact, you could cut it with a knife. Not a day went past without another death or mysterious disappearance. Several students went running from the hall upon reading the news that their owl brought. It was horrible, but there wasn't anything that we could do to stop it…yet.

Work on the Marauder's Map had officially commenced! Remus was the best at sketching and he drew the outline of Hogwarts with magic ink. The ink helped to keep the drawing as accurate as possible and erased any mistakes by itself.

We included the Hogwart's grounds and the passage between the Whomping Willow and the Shrieking Shack. We also added all of the secret passageways and rooms that we had found. Sirius gleefully added the route to the kitchens, somehow charming the parchment to give instructions to tickle the pear.

We spent hours in the library researching tracking charms of all kinds. Lily thought that we had finally gone insane and were _studying! _If only she knew…

In addition to our mapmaking, we also practiced the Patronus charm every second night. The mists were gradually getting stronger, but none of us had achieved the corpeal Patronus yet and we were all getting impatient.

James and I also had Quidditch practice to deal with. We were in first place in the inter-house league. We had a promising team full of talent. The three chasers were fantastic, with James' skill rivalling that of the captain's! Gideon and Fabian Pretwett were twins with flaming red hair and freckles. Together with a pair of Beater bats and Bludgers, they were a force to reckon with. Tessa Helt was an faultless Keeper, saving the best of shots with ease. And me, what can I say? I'm awesome!

One evening in January, we spent three hours researching in the library and were just about to give up when suddenly, Remus exclaimed, "I've got it!".

We leaped to our feet and galloped over to the boy. "It's here, second paragraph down, _'seguimiento máximo"._

"Brilliant!" James enthused, "Let's get started immediately!"

"But it's getting late", Peter pointed out. "We won't be able to get up in the morning."

"Pete, it's Friday." Sirius said sensibly (for once in his life), "We don't have to get up early!"

"Oh yeah", Peter replied lamely.

"Right let's go to the room behind the statue", I decided.

With the use of shortcuts, we were there within five minutes. Remus whipped out the magical parchment.

"Seguimiento Máximo Albus Dumbledore", Remus chanted, his wand aimed at the map. To our surprise, small footprints appeared on the map, in his office and began to move along as he paced. A small label with _Albus Dumbledore _written on it manifested beside the footprints.

"Go Moony!" Sirius cheered, "Let me have a go!"

"Seguimiento Máximo Minnie, I mean Minerva McGonagall", he ordered. We obtained the same result but this time, the footprints appeared in the Transfiguration department.

We grinned in triumph and quickly pulled out our wands. Within minutes, the staff of Hogwarts were tracked. I scanned through the book and found that the charm allowed a fantastic shortcut.

"Seguimiento Máximo Gryffindor Students", I chanted. It worked and much to our delight the entire population of Gryffindor students popped up on the map with appropriate labels. The others quickly joined in and we soon had everyone on the map. Now all we needed was a spell strong enough to track anyone on the grounds.

As if reading my thoughts, James said, "We still need to track visitors."

"Right, let's try this." Remus said, "Seguimiento Totalus!"

A shimmering golden mist engulfed the parchment. It vanished and the parchment glowed for five seconds before returning to normal. When we looked we saw new footprints and a label: Nicholas Flamel in Dumbledore's office.

"Who's he?" James asked.

"A famous alchemist, creator of the only Philosopher's Stone." Remus answered, sounding as though he had swallowed a textbook. "It produces an elixir which gives the drinker immortality and can turn any metal into solid gold."

"Woah!" Sirius gasped, "What in the name of Merlin is he doing in old Dumble's office?" I hid a smirk behind a hand at Sirius' lingo.

"I don't know", Remus answered, "But anyway, we'll continue this tomorrow, we should go to bed."

This instruction was met by moans and groans and complaints, but we all knew that Moony was right and we went to bed.


	17. Meeting the Wolf

A fortnight later, the actual picture and the tracking charms on the map were complete. After spending the entire fortnight searching, we eventually found a suitable book on passwords which the boys and I were reading every night.

"Hey! Book worms!" James yelled loudly.

Remus and I rolled our eyes.

"It's time to practice!" Sirius called.

I glanced at my watch and cursed, we were ten minutes late.

"Coming!" Moony and I shouted and we galloped after the two cackling raven haired Marauders.

We entered our secret passage and took our wands out.

"Come on! We can do it! I know we can!" James encouraged.

We formed a horseshoe and brandished our wands.

"Expecto Patronum" We chanted. The usual warm feeling flooded my arm and a strong silver mist flooded the room. It vanished after twenty seconds once we lost concentration.

"Come on! We can do it!" Sirius said, voicing our impatience and frustration, it was _impossible_.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" We yelled. We all achieved the mist, but we struggled under the pressure of holding it.

Peter was first to lower his wand and flopped to the ground. Sirius and James gave up at almost the same time and they joined Peter on the floor. I collapsed to the ground ten seconds after them, but Moony held on.

His eyes were closed in concentration and small beads of sweat clung to his foreheads. He held his wand in front of him and clung to it with gusto. He could do it. I willed him on in my head, my heart pounding in my chest.

His wand shook slightly in his hand.

"Come on Moony" we whispered.

The mist intensified before flickering out and vanishing. We sighed with disappointed but suddenly a huge silver Patronus surged from Remus' wand. I caught a glimpse of four shining legs, leading to paws, a long furry tail, a noble head, two lupine eyes.

It was a wolf.

"Good man Moony!" Sirius cheered and ran forward to clap him on the back.

"Well done, mate", James congratulated.

"That was incredible" I swooned, hugging Remus.

Emboldened by Remus' success, the boys and I attacked the Patronus charm with astonishing determination.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" We bellowed in unison.

I focused on my dad's face, on his laugh, on his voice. I remembered my last Christmas with him. I recalled our birthdays and the day I got my Hogwarts letter. I remembered saying goodbye to him on Platform 9¾ and then the last time I saw him alive, in 's.

The most amazing, indescribable sensation flooded through my body. My blood had been replaced by magic and my worries disappeared. I concentrated with every particle of my brain on my father and the feeling intensified.

A shimmering silver shape burst from the tip of my wand. It floated a circuit of the passageway before turning to face me. Its eyes met mine. The eyes described my emotion, my heart better than any words could. They were full of love, sorrow, loss, hope and determination. My heart broke and I could feel tears dripping steadily down my face. I reached a hand out to touch it, but it disappeared before my fingers came into contact with it.

"Well done, Amy" Remus whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

"That was incredible!" James and Sirius commended.

"I wish I could do it" Peter moaned.

"Moony did it first", I pointed out.

My patronus was a wolf. A wolf like my father…and like Remus.

My head spun around to look at the sandy-haired boy on its own accord. I met his gaze. His chocolate eyes were wide and fearful.

The others didn't notice anything different and were chatting animatedly to each other, full of excitement. They obviously hadn't read ahead like Moony and I had.

The thing is, that Patronus' are an insight into one's soul. A couple in love will often have matching patronus'. A lion and a lioness, a fox and a vixen, two elephants…two wolves.

It may just be a strange coincidence, but then again, it may be fate.


	18. Pete's Prank Plan

_Hi Readers! Thank you for all favourites, follows and of course, reviews! Apologies for such irregular updating. I hope to finish this story as soon as possible. Thank you._

_By the way, Sirius is not the rightful owner of the Elder wand! Dumbledore let him take it which makes me think that he still remains the true master of it._

_I do not own Harry Potter_

* * *

"Marauders!" Sirius announced one day in mid-February, ""It has been five entire days since our last prank!"

"What!" I gasped in horror, pretending to faint in shock.

"It has indeed", Sirius confirmed gravely.

"Well, we'll have to do something about that," James said, abandoning his Quidditch magazine. "Any ideas?"

We all turned to face Moony.

"Don't look at me, for once in my life, I am out of plans", he shrugged.

"Well, we could," Peter began, "nah, it won't work."

"No, go on Pete", I prompted.

"No, you don't understand, it really won't work! It involves a ridiculous charm that there is no way in Merlin that we could learn."

Our interest heightened, this was incredible, that was possibly Peter's longest sentence ever. Peter was the quietest Marauder.

"Please, Peter, don't insult our intelligence. Now, what is your plan exactly?" James commanded.

"Well", Peter began, clearly intimidated by our attention to him. Peter was normally just there, in the background, hanging off us. He wasn't especially handsome, funny or intelligent and was easily forgotten, so I didn't blame him for his nerves. He made a funny choked cough sound and continued.

"I was studying charms the other day, and I found a sticking charm with a timer on it. So, I thought that we could jinx the Slytherin and maybe the staff table with it." Peter explained. "The charm is complex, it's not studied until fourth year."

"We'll manage", Sirius said confidently, "now where's the book?"

Peter scrambled to his feet and hastened to do as Sirius had demanded. He came back several minutes later, red-faced and gasping for breath.

"Page 418", he gasped.

I took the book and flicked through the pages until I found what we were looking for.

"This is brilliant, Peter! To make sure that it works, we'll need to ensure that none of the teachers have their wands on them or they'll be able to undo the effects. The counter charm is far too difficult for any students, even us", Remus analysed.

"The incantation is _tempus tenaci_, and with luck, it will last for two hours." James added.

"The only problem is getting the Professor's wands", Remus pointed out, "how in the name of Merlin are we to get Dumbledore's wand?"

"The invisibility cloak", James said, and he grinned.

* * *

"Sirius, move over, you're taking up all the space!" I hissed to the tall boy who was stooped over. Honestly, Sirius, who was already a bean-pole was after hitting a growth spurt and now towered over me, a full head and shoulders taller. We were moving at snail-pace so that our toes wouldn't peek from under the cloak.

"Right, so what wands do we have so far?" I asked.

"All but Dumbledore", Sirius whispered, cheerfully twirling the wands in his hand. I stifled a giggle.

"What's the password for the gargoyle?" Sirius asked.

"Sirius, weren't you listening at all? We've to wait until Dumbledore leaves his office and then we'll summon his wand. Hopefully he won't notice, but even if he does we can run for it!" I explained.

"It's not going to work!" Sirius sang.

"Shhh, I think he's coming", I whispered, elbowing him in the ribs. Sirius playfully shoved me back.

But it wasn't Dumbledore. We waited for two hours and it was nearing the end of our watch when Sirius stamped on my toe, snapping me out of my dream-like state.

"It's him", he said so quietly I almost didn't hear him. "Accio Dumbledore's wand."

Much to our astonishment, the wand swiftly flew out of Dumbledore's billowing robes and straight into Sirius' grateful hands. Dumbledore kept on walking, humming tunelessly to himself although I was positive that he inclined his head slightly in our direction and gave an almost unnoticeable wink, although it may have simply been a trick of the light. I let out a low, quiet whistle. Not many second years could have pulled that one off.

Sirius was twirling the wand in his hands. It was made out of almost black wood and seemed to be radiating power.

"Think of the magic that he performed with this, think of the battle of Grindelwald, when Dumbledore duelled Voldie", Sirius said, in awe.

"I know. It feels a bit wrong to have it though. We'll give it back afterwards, so it isn't like we're stealing it, we're just … borrowing it without asking." I pondered aloud.

Sirius hid a smirk.


	19. Prank in the Great Hall

_Hello Readers! Quick update, but short chapter. Will update soon. **Please review!**_

_I do not own Harry Potter._

* * *

Early the next morning, I jumped out of bed and quickly pulled my clothes on. I didn't even bother tugging a brush through my long, knotted brown hair, and instead adopted James' irritating habit of running his fingers through his hair.

I skidded down the stairs and ran straight into Moony.

"Sorry", I apologised. He smothered a laugh at my messed up bedhair.

"Come on, team, we're behind schedule by approximately 80 seconds", James ordered. Pranks were possibly the only thing he took seriously, apart from Quidditch and Lily Evans.

Sirius unfolded the invisibility cloak and flung it over us all. Remus, Sirius and James stooped over so that it would completely conceal us and we slowly inched our way into the Great Hall moving sideways like a crab.

The hall was almost full. We had awoken early to allow time for the prolonged journey to the Great Hall. Everybody was seated at the staff table except for Professor Kettleburn and the House tables were almost full. Much to our delight, Snivellu was present, sandwiched between Crabbe and Nott at the Snakes Table.

First of all, we jinxed the teacher's table. Remus did the honours. He swished his wand like an expert and the table glowed faintly for a moment like the book had described. James smacked him on the back, congratulating him on a job well done.

James covered the Slytherin table, Sirius the Ravenclaws and I took care of the Hufflepuff table. We sneaked out of the hall and whipped off the cloak which James hid in a hidden enlarged pocket. Together we entered the hall as if we hadn't a care in the world.

We headed towards our table and grabbed some toast and pumpkin juice. We stood against the wall and began eating our breakfast, chatting about some random topic but in reality we were surveying the hall. We didn't have long to wait.

Much to our delight, the first sign of a struggle occurred at the Slytherin table. A 6th year student that I recognised as Avery was trying to get up. I avoided the boys' gaze, trying and failing to stifle my laughter as he twisted around.

"I'm stuck, I can't get up!" The future Death Eater snarled, glaring at the seat as though he would love nothing more than Avada Kedavra it there and then. His Death Eater buddies broke into hysterics, that was, until one of them tried to get up.

"I can't get up either!" A dark haired girl shrieked. She began to mimic Avery's motions, but of course, to no avail.

By now, they had attracted quite a bit of attention. Most of their table began to wriggle and started to panic as they realised that they too were unable to get up.

"HELP!" A first year girl screamed.

Minnie's head swung around and silence descended upon the hall. She said something to Professor Sprout and tried to stand up. But she couldn't. Anyone who hadn't realised what was going on quickly copped on.

Within two minutes, almost everyone in the Hall was twisting and squirming violently, trying to break free of the invisible force that glued their bottoms to their seats.

It didn't escape everyone's notice that the Gryffindors had not been pranked. They also saw us rolling around the floor laughing.

"QUIET!" Dumbledore bellowed, standing up.

"How did he get up?" I hissed to Remus.

"I don't know," he answered.

Dumbledore took his wand from his pocket and began casting some immensely complex spells. His wand moved so quickly that it became a blur.

Eventually, after about ten minutes, everyone in the hall clambered to their feet.

"I thought you took his wand", James hissed.

"We did!" Sirius insisted, "Look."

Sirius whipped out the bunch of stolen wands and sorted through them. He passed Dumbledore's to James. James waved it impatiently and much to our surprise, a red fist came from the wand and punched him in the nose.

We burst into renewed peels of laughter.

"May I have those wands back?", A voice asked Sirius.

We turned around. It was Dumbledore. We looked at each other. Sirius dropped the wands and we sprinted out of the hall, choking with laughter at our unplanned escape.

Needless to say, we were sentenced to a month's worth of detentions, but it was worth it.


	20. Insults

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_I do not own Harry Potter_

* * *

It was two days after our detentions had ended and we were sitting in our common room. Remus, of course, was surrounded by piles of thick textbooks, hiding him from sight. Peter was playing gobstones with Frank Longbottom and by the looks of things was losing badly. James was reading his new Quidditch magazine, poring over the selection of broom that were coming out over the next six months, occasionally letting out an admiring gasp of admiration of taking down notes. Sirius and I were in the middle of a fierce game of wizard's chess.

"Take that!" I declared as my Bishop slid across the board to claim Sirius' Queen.

"Ah yes, but Amy, you fell into my trap", Sirius retorted playfully. My King was left open for attack and Sirius' Knight zoomed over to claim it. "Checkmate".

I cursed in annoyance and pouted.

"Turn that frown upside down", Sirius sang as he tramped around doing a mad victory dance. My scowl deepened. "Don't say I didn't warn you!"

Without warning, he pounced on me and began tickling me. I choked with laughter.

"STOP!" I gasped, "Remus, James, help me!"

They smirked and returned to their reading.

I bent double, almost suffocating. It was time to take action. I kicked out at Sirius and made contact right where it would hurt him the most. Now it was Sirius who was bent over. I smiled triumphantly, the image somewhat ruined by my messy hair and flushed cheeks.

"Oh my Merlin! I have just had the most amazing, incredible, genius-" James suddenly exclaimed, sitting bolt upright.

"-mate, any time soon would be nice", Sirius pointed out.

"Oh, right, sorry." James stuttered, "Anyway, it's to do with the map. PETER! GET YOUR ARSE OVER HERE PRONTO!"

The mousy boy skidded over so quickly he probably lost three pounds.

"To the dorm!"

* * *

Several minutes later everyone was nestled comfortably on the nearest available piece of furniture-for me a huge scarlet beanbag.

We faced James expectantly.

"We should charm the map to…insult people when they guess the wrong password!" he shouted enthusiastically.

"How?" Peter asked sceptically.

"Um, I haven't gotten that far yet", James admitted.

Remus looked thoughtful.

"Where's my copy of A History of Hogwarts?" He asked.

"There", I pointed. He smiled and rescued the book from under Sirius' bed. Merlin knows what it was doing there.

Remus flicked through the pages, and finally found what he was looking for.

"Just as I thought. Look, it says here that the Founders of Hogwarts placed their brains into the hat to enable it to Sort. So if we put some of our brains into the map, it would enable it to insult people just as we would." Remus explained.

"How in the name of Merlin do you put your brains into a map? In case you haven't noticed, we kind of need our brains to live", I rationalised.

"Not in Sirius' case", Moony joked. "No, you don't really put your brains into it, it's more a… sliver of your personality."

"Yeah, but how do you do that?" Peter asked.

"I'm not sure", Moony admitted, "but it can't be too hard. It says here that it was an advanced transfer charm that was used. We'll just have to-"

"-Go to the library", James finished.

"Why is it always the library?" Sirius moaned.

"Because the library happens to always have the answers", Remus answered sensibly. Sirius immaturely stuck out his tongue in response.

"Moony, you and Amy take the invisibility cloak and go to the library. Pincers and Filch would murder you on the spot if they caught you there after curfew", James ordered.

"Why me?" I asked.

"Because you're smallest and fit under the invisibility cloak the easiest."

I spluttered indignantly and caught the cloak as Sirius threw it at me. I unfolded it and draped it over myself and Moony, squishing close to him to remain unseen. Remus smelled of chocolate, and...forests. An odd combination, only Moony could pull it off.

"What book are we looking for?" I asked him.

"I'm not sure of the name of it, but I know that it's in the Advanced Charms section", Remus replied.

We stealthily skimmed across the corridors, swerving around an unsuspecting Filch and skipping past an unusually relaxed Madam Pince (whom Sirius named 'Pincers') who was lost in a book.

Remus led me down the eighth row of looming bookshelves that covered the walls from floor to ceiling. He took several turns before finally finding what he had been searching for.

"I've got it." He whispered, "Enchantments for the Brainy." He flicked through the table of contents and scanned through the list.

"There", I pointed, "Chapter Twenty-Two".

"Okay, so it says here in paragraph six that the charm is 'tralato scientiam'. This, combined with a rather complicated potion that is on page 603 that will be poured over the map should complete the task", Remus explained to us.

I grabbed the book, flicked to page 603 and scanned through the instructions.

"Holy Merlin Moony!" I gasped, "Have you seen this? We're all useless at potions except Sirius and he blows them up for fun!"

Remus chuckled at the image of Slughorn dripping with his last potion.

"Well he won't explode it this time, and I can help. I can understand the theory behind potion brewing, I'm just not so good at the practical." Moony said.

"All right then", I said sceptically, "most of the ingredients are in the student store and I'll buy the Mandrake leaves and Skrewt venom off David Fent in Ravenclaw".

"Let's get started then".


	21. Patronus Passageway

_Hello Readers. _**There are two chapters remaining in this story.**_ I would like to thank everyone for continued support. Please review!_

_I do not own Harry Potter._

* * *

Two weeks of intense potion-brewing, spell casting, swearing, and screaming in frustration later, the potion was almost ready. It was our second attempt. James had accidentally stirred it anti-clockwise instead of clockwise and it had evaporated, leaving us with an empty cauldron. We had very nearly killed him. Thankfully, it was so far so good with this one and Remus said that it would be ready in two days.

We were in the Great Hall when several school owls sporting identical envelopes descended upon the table. We untied the letters. The owls flew off without a second glance.

_**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**_

_Dear Miss. Griffon,_

_ You are required to choose a further two or three additional subjects that are to be examined on in your Ordinary Wizarding Levels. Classes will commence in September of your third year. Please fill in the form attached and hand it in to your Head of House within 10 days. Please order your preferences as spaces in each class are limited. The classes are listed below._

_Ancient Runes_

_Arithmancy_

_Care of Magical Creatures_

_Divination_

_Muggle Studies_

_Professor Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

"It's from Professor McGonagall, we have to choose our new classes for next year!" I heard Lily scream with excitement, her green eyes shining with happiness. I knew that my expression matched hers.

"Ancient Runes, at long last", Remus said dreamily. He gasped, "Arithmancy. I can't wait."

"Care of Magical Creatures!" Sirius, James and I screeched together, prancing around wildly.

"Um, Divination sounds okay and I suppose that I could handle Muggle Studies," Peter said uncertainly, his brow creased.

"How can we choose?" Remus moaned, clearly wishing to study them all. I hid a smirk.

In the end, we all took Care of Magical Creatures except for Peter. Sirius, James, Peter and I took Muggle Studies. Peter, despite receiving advice not to also put his name down for Divination. Remus was second to sign up for Arithmancy and Ancient Runes beaten only by a certain redhead.

"Ugh, I can't believe we have to wait until September to start the new classes", I groaned.

"It's not fair", Sirius whined.

"Moony, are you finished the potions essay?" James asked.

"Yeah" came the reply.

"Okay, come on then, let's go" Sirius prompted. "I'm going to get it tonight, I just know it".

* * *

We darted around the corridors and slipped, unnoticed, into our favourite secret passageway which James had christened 'The Patronus Practice Passage'.

"Come on guys, you can do it!" I encouraged.

Traces of laughter vanished from Sirius', James' and Peter's faces as they stood in a line. They gripped their wands in front of them as though they were a lifeline.

"Choose your memory", I told them. They stood in silence for several moments before nodding for us to continue.

"Wipe your mind blank of any distractions. Focus every molecule of your concentration on your chosen memory", Remus instructed patiently. "Allow the strength of the emotion attached to the memory flood through you. Don't lose focus as you twirl your wand and chant the incantation. The memory is your strength."

Their eyes were closed, frown lines creased across Sirius' forehead, Peter's mouth was half-open, a trail of saliva dribbling down his chin, leaving me to wonder if his memory was of the best pie he ever ate. A small trickle of sweat danced across James' forehead. I had never seen these boys look so concentrated.

"Expecto Patronum!" They exclaimed in unison.

The usual silver smoke came from their wands. My heart sank in disappointment. Then the atmosphere in the room changed, just like when the sun rose after a stormy night.

At almost precisely the same time, two huge silvery figures burst from the tips of James' and Sirius' wands. They darted beside each other.

James' Patronus was a breath-taking, majestic stag. He was about 8 feet in height, with a gigantic pair of prong-like antlers that easily stretched 5 feet across. Faint dapples could be seen across his stomach. He had a sense of freedom about him. He was utterly untouchable, nothing could harm him. He galloped across the room, his hooves hovering above the floor, his head held high. His frame was protective, intimidating and challenging but his eyes betrayed James' personality. He was the image of bravery and chivalry. It was James.

Sirius' Patronus was a huge, shaggy, bear-like dog. His hair, like Sirius' was long and tamed. His long tongue hung out of his mouth casually to one side, if a dog could laugh, this would be what it would look like. Even from the distance, I could see his long tail wag from side to side, resembling a Beater's bat. He bounded after the stag, playful, confident and at ease with the world. His wide eyes had depth to them, as though he had lost his innocence and was aware of the horrors of the world. Perhaps he had.

The Patronus' turned together to face their casters and blinked out of existence.

James and Sirius were standing shoulder to shoulder, wands still raised, with an astounded expression etched into their features. Their eyes were glazed over, their minds clearly replaying what they had just seen over and over again.

"Well done!" I laughed, throwing myself at Sirius.

"We did it!" He yelled with excitement, whirling me around.

"We cast the Patronus Charm!" James shouted, sounding like he had when he had gotten on to the Quidditch team.

"A dog"

"A stag"

Only Peter looked slightly put out. Everyone had managed to find out what they would turn into except him. Remus seems to read my thoughts because he casually slung an arm around Pete's shoulders.

"Don't worry Peter, you'll manage to do it too", he comforted.

"Thanks Moony, I hope so", Peter said a little sadly, "I just really want to do something really spectacular for once. I want to be someone who shines rather than someone in the background. I want to help you."

And with that shock confession, Peter slipped out of the Patronus Practice Passage.


	22. Completing the Marauders' Map

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_I do not own Harry Potter_

* * *

With much anticipation, we pulled off the Invisibility Cloak and rushed over to the bubbling cauldron. Sirius stirred it anti-clockwise a dozen times and James carefully added the crushed frog of Hippogriff hoof to the bright yellow concoction. It hissed loudly and the ingredient dissolved, leaving us with a bright gold substance. It had the appearance of a solid, but when Remus placed a ladle in it, it parted like a liquid. A thick cloud of sky-blue smoke smelling of roses wafted out of the cauldron and into the air.

Peter and I held open the map and Moony very gently drizzled the potion over the well cared for parchment. It glowed on impact. It was like looking directly at the Sun.

James took out his wand and twirled and slashed it through the air in a seriously complicated motion whilst muttering beneath his breath. James had always been best at charms, despite it being one of Peter's stronger subjects. The parchment's glow intensified and then vanished, leaving us with the-hopefully-completed map.

"Open," I said.

_Moony wishes to commend fellow Marauders on a successful mission and regrets reminding Miss. Griffon that she must use the password._

_Miss. Griffon is slightly annoyed that Amy should be the first to be insulted even if it is on purpose._

_Messr. Wormtail agrees with Moony._

_Messr. Black would like to take the opportunity to congratulate the Marauders on their brilliance and also point out how sleek and silky Sirius' hair looks today._

_Messr. Potter would like to tell Messr. Black to shut up about his hair for once and jinx Snivellus as soon as possible for the smell wafting off his greasy hair is going to kill everyone._

We burst into peals of laughter. I collapsed to the ground and pounded the ground with my fists. It worked perfectly!

"Sirius even mentioned his hair!" James spluttered.

"Even on parchment, Moony still sounded smart", Peter laughed.

"James gave out about Snivellus!" I snorted.

"How come I'm called Moony and the rest of you are 'Messrs' and 'Miss'?" Remus asked.

"We don't have nicknames", Peter pointed out.

"Well, that won't do, we all need Marauder names." I said.

"Remus is Moony because he's a werewolf so naturally we should have a name related to our animagus", James decided.

"James is a stag… antlers? Rudolf? Bambi?" Sirius suggested.

"Bambi? You've got to be joking!" James argued indignantly. "That sounds like a girl's name!"

"_Prongs_" I muttered. "Prongs!"

"Love it!" James confirmed, ruffling my hair.

"Sirius… bad breath? How about barker?" Peter asked.

"No way! I should be…King", Sirius proclaimed.

"No, something to do with your appearance", Prongs mulled.

"Mutt? Flea-bag? Mongrel?" I teased.

"Jet? Ebony? Night?" Peter offered.

"Scruffy? Canine? Pedigree?" Remus listed.

"I've got it! Padfoot!" Prongs shouted with excitement.

"Brilliant! I'm Padfoot!" Sirius laughed triumphantly, slapping Prongs on the back..

"I'm a wolf", I stated, "Moony is taken, what about Luna?"

"Faolan", Remus said softly.

"Faolan", I agreed. "What does it mean?"

"Nothing", Moony said quickly, blushing inconspicuously.

* * *

Later that day we found ourselves in the Patronus Practice Passage again. It seemed as though we would spend half of our Hogwarts career in this tiny room. We were all tired, cranky and exasperated. Peter simply wasn't getting anywhere.

"Pete, you can do it. You know what to do." James encouraged.

"Pick a better memory", Remus urged.

"Preferably one without pie in it", Sirius added, only half joking.

The chubby boy had such a fierce look of concentration on his face that it looked as though he were constipated. His knuckles were deathly white from gripping his wand so tightly, contrasting against the bright red colour of his face.

"Expecto Patronum!" He shouted. The usual silvery mist came from his wand but nothing more. We groaned in a combination of exasperation, impatience and disappointment.

"One last time", Remus told him, "You can do it. Just remember: focus on the memory".

Peter nodded and half-heartedly took out his wand. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

Grey mist slithered out through his wand and formed a small, indistinct shape. For one heart stopping moment I thought it was a snake, but then the shape became clearer and I saw ears. It was a mark of the strength of our friendship that none of us burst out laughing.

Peter Pettigrew's Patronus and Animagus was a rat. A small, plump, round eared rodent. I would never tell Peter this but I hate rats. Always have, always will, but I suppose an animagus rat is different to a real rat. I certainly hoped so!

Pete looked fit to collapse, but his eyes were alight with exhilaration .

"Did you see that? I did it! I cast the Patronus Charm!" He squeaked-now we knew where he got that from. "What's my new nickname?"

He didn't even seem disappointed that he was a rat, but then again, he did like rats. He even had a pet one-Dustbin-oh sorry, I mean Dustin.

"Vermin", Sirius muttered under his breath so that only James and I could hear. I giggled.

"Plague? Tiny? Mini Mouse? Stewart Little?" Remus offered.

"Stewart Little?" Sirius asked blankly.

"Never mind. It's a muggle movie", Remus sighed.

"Movie?" Sirius questioned.

"I'll explain later", Remus groaned.

"How about…Wormtail?" Sirius suggested. We stared blankly at him. "You know, because his tail looks like a worm."

"The weirdest thing is that although it makes absolutely no sense, that actually has a ring to it", Remus said in wonder. "Well done Sirius".

"Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs and Miss Faolan; it's perfect", James said aloud. We all agreed.

The Marauders' Map was finally complete!


	23. A Love Confession

_Hello Readers! I am proud topresent the final chapter of this story. It is likely that there will be sequels but not in the near future. Please Review. Thank you for everyone who followed this story._

* * *

**REMUS POV:**

Platform 9¾ was as busy as usual, but times had changed. There was no concealing the black bags and new lines of worry on the parents' faces. There was no disguising how vigorously they hugged their children; not letting them out of their sight.

Voldemort and his Death Eaters had dramatically influenced the Wizarding World. The Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic had been tortured for information and killed in his own home last night. Death Eaters, of course. It had terrified the Wizarding population. If someone with such a high status of protection had been killed, what would prevent them from doing the same to their small, insignificant families?

I watched a little sadly as Amy wrapped her arms around her mum. Her mother clutched on to Amy as tightly as possible, reluctant to let go. Both of them had tears in their eyes. The absence of her father stuck out like a sore thumb.

James flew over to his elderly parents and already had them chuckling about one of our latest pranks. They didn't linger long, Mr Potter had a Muggle taxi waiting for them and they left within minutes.

Peter had left with his parents already. Pete's parents were nervous people and rarely left the house unless absolutely necessary these days. Nobody blamed them.

Sirius stood behind me, delaying the moment that he would leave the safety of Platform 9¾ and enter his personal Azkaban, complete with Dementor (Walburga Black) that was 12 Grimmauld Place. Even his younger brother Regulus was planning to join the Dark side. Aged ten and he was already taken with the idea of wiping out muggle-borns and half-bloods. It sickened Sirius. He didn't even acknowledge Regulus by his first name anymore.

They left one by one and I sat down on my battered trunk to wait for my parents. I carefully unfolded the map.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good".

_Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs & Miss Faolan are proud to present the Marauders Map._

Nobody seemed aware of the fact that I had Amy's nickname ready within seconds. I had it picked out ever since we saw her Corpeal Patronus. Faolan: Irish for 'little wolf'. Her father had used to call her that. Maybe I would tell her some day. Maybe I wouldn't.

It was no surprise that my Patronus was a wolf, but for Amy's to match. I didn't dare to hope that we belonged together, but every day I noticed something new about.

I saw the way that her long, luscious chocolate hair cascaded down to her waist in perfect waves. The small smatter of freckles across her nose and the two lonely freckles on her left hand. The bright amber colour of her eyes, how startlingly yellow they turned at the Full Moon. The way she tilted her head back when she was truly in hysterics laughing, showing off pearly white teeth or the way she smirked when she was only amused. I acknowledged the way her left eye twitched ever so slightly when she lied.

I watched her nibble at the end of her quill during Transfiguration and tap her wand against her thigh when she became bored. I hid a grin when I realised she always ran up the stairs, taking two steps at a time even when she had a bag full of books on her back.

Her passion for Defence Against the Dark Arts was evident, as was her natural ability. That time when she had flipped through the air, tumbled, ducked and still managed to hit Sirius straight in the nose with a vile Bat Bogey Hex was still fresh in my memory.

Her patronus patrolled my dreams. I would be in the Shrieking Shack, my body quivering as the light of the Full Moon crept into my bloodstream, awaking and unleashing the monster within me. My muscles and bones would snap, twist and mould me into a new frame. A body that no matter how many times I transformed into it would always feel foreign. I would be about to take the first chunk out of my own flesh when a silvery light would enter the room. A wolf would chase after me, jump over me, hide from me, nip me, play with me. I would play back, all thoughts of self-harm gone. And then, in the morning-she would kiss me.

That was when I realised that I was in love with Amy Griffon, but nobody knew, and they never would.


End file.
